U.S. House Democrats voted last week for D.C. to become the 51st state. The vote was another instance where Minnesota's congressional delegation is divided down partisan lines.
By a vote of 216-208, the House passed the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. Minnesota's four House Democrats voted yes on the legislation, while the four Republicans from the state opposed the bill. President Joe Biden supports statehood. But in the Senate, GOP opposition and the filibuster are likely to prevent D.C. statehood from passing.
"The state of Wyoming has 20 percent fewer residents than the District of Columbia, yet Wyoming has two voting U.S. Senators and a voting member of the U.S. House who have the ability to shape U.S. policy — and D.C. has none," Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum said in a statement. "The residents of D.C. are American citizens who are treated as second class citizens, and the District deserves statehood immediately."
The D.C. statehood effort has been met with vocal GOP criticism. Statehood "is an unconstitutional power grab," Republican U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach said in a statement, adding that "Democrats are pursuing this for one reason and one reason only: consolidating their political power by adding two senators and at least one representative from a highly progressive constituency."
