The Washingtonian
WRITTEN BY ANDREW BEAUJON
PUBLISHED ON MAY 3, 2021
DC shadow US Senator Michael D. Brown erected a large "WARNING" sign in his yard.
Brown is one of the District’s shadow US senators and was elected to his third six-year term in 2018. The position is unpaid; Brown estimated last year that he had spent $60,000 of his own funds to perform his duties. Reached by phone, Brown says he paid for the sign himself. The pandemic has helped him save money that usually goes to statehood rallies and paraphernalia like buttons.
The Huffington Post
05/07/2021 09:42 am ET
By Travis Waldron and Paul Blumenthal
Republicans (and some Democrats) say D.C. shouldn’t become the 51st state. Here’s why each reason they cite is bad.
Were D.C. to become a state, its residents would almost certainly elect two Democratic senators and a Democratic representative (D.C. currently has one nonvoting delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat and one of the District’s fiercest statehood advocates). For that reason, Republicans have cast the statehood push as a purely partisan ploy meant to bolster Democratic majorities in Congress.
Even if it were such a scheme, the Constitution does not say that only one political party’s voters are worthy of representation. Other states were also created for purely partisan reasons. And Republican opposition to D.C. statehood is just as partisan, if not more so, than Democrats’ support for it.
Bleeding Heartland
Tuesday, May 4 2021
Tamyra Harrison is founder and director of Iowans For D.C. Statehood. -promoted by Laura Belin
The Clarinda Herald-Journal
published a letter on April 29 by Charles A. Petterson from Persia, Iowa, who criticized U.S. Representative Cindy Axne’s vote for D.C. statehood.
I would like to take this opportunity to correct some incorrect claims Mr. Petterson made.
It is constitutional to make the area of land designated by H.R. 51 into the 51st state by an act of Congress, which is, by the way, the same way the last 37 states were admitted. The District of Columbia was created by Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution from land given by Maryland and Virginia. The land belonging to Virginia was given back early on in 1846 leaving the land from Maryland. Seven of Maryland’s U.S. House members co-sponsored H.R. 51 and both its U.S. senators co-sponsored S. 51. Maryland overwhelmingly supports D.C. statehood.
Arizona Republic
March 6, 2021
...Washington, D.C. statehood would take on new significance, considering members of the Washington, the district's congressional delegation would mostly likely be African American Democrats, given the demographics and city politics in the nation’s Capital.
That statehood should expand to territories such as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. It should also cover large Indian nations, such as the Navajo Nation, a massive swath that covers parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.
It would serve to change the complexion of national politics...
Mar 5, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced that, due to a change in the House calendar, the Committee on Oversight and Reform (COR) hearing on her District of Columbia statehood bill (H.R. 51) has been rescheduled from March 11, 2021, to March 22, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. Norton thanked COR Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) for her leadership on D.C. statehood and for prioritizing the bill early in this Congress.
Justin: (3:39)
Maybe a little more substantively, I was wondering, you had mentioned surrenders yesterday, but not if you were or not specific companies that might’ve had DPA contracts either started or are coming. And then also DC statehood was an issue that was raised in our previous briefing.
Jen Psaki: (39:56)
Sure. Well, on the first, I don’t know if specific companies for you, I can circle back with our COVID team and see if we have more specifics. Obviously those conversations are happening as we speak. There was a question yesterday about whether the Defense Production Act had been invoked. It has been invoked, so those processes are now rapidly ongoing. The president has supported DC statehood in the past. That certainly remains his position, but I don’t have anything for you on the timeline or next steps there. [inaudible 00:40:54] Oh, go ahead.
WUSA9
Author: Evan Koslof
Published: 7:05 PM EST January 21, 2021
Updated: 10:57 PM EST January 21, 2021
In the past, the biggest obstacle to statehood has been the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to overcome the filibuster. But our experts explain rules can change.
WASHINGTON — QUESTION:
Now that Democrats have control in the House, the Senate, and the White House, could D.C. get statehood through a simple majority vote?
ANSWER:
Yes, although there would need to be a rule change in the Senate.
In the House of Representatives, a statehood bill would only need a majority vote. In the Senate, a bill typically needs 60 votes to overcome the filibuster.
Fortune
BY ARIC JENKINS
January 16, 2021 7:00 AM CST
With the country reeling from last week's riots at the Capitol and Democrats soon to be in control of the presidency, House, and Senate, roughly half of Americans support granting statehood to Washington, D.C.
In a Fortune–SurveyMonkey online poll of U.S. adults conducted earlier this week, 49% of respondents said they supported D.C. statehood, with 25% saying the Capitol riots made them more likely to support the cause. Among Democrats, the percentage of support was 73%, while just 27% of Republicans felt the same.
Of Democrats, 42% of respondents characterized their support for statehood as "strong," compared to 8% of Republicans.
"It’s been a long time coming, but last week the U.S. House of Representatives voted to grant statehood to the District of Columbia.
This would make D.C. the 51st state and would give the little over 700,000 citizens who live here something we’ve never had before, taxation WITH representation -- a full and equal voice in our nation’s democracy."
Author: Reese Waters (WUSA 9), Randolph Terrance Sturdivant
Published: 5:40 AM EDT July 2, 2020
Updated: 7:08 AM EDT July 2, 2020
"The fight for D.C. statehood isn’t over yet, even though the House of Representatives passed a bill to make Washington, D.C. the 51st state.
Last Friday, that legislation was passed with a vote of 232-180, providing the first step toward statehood for the District of Columbia.
It's the first time in American history that either chamber of Congress has passed legislation that would make D.C. a state, giving the city’s residents two voting members in the senate."
Author: Gio Insignares
Published: 8:24 PM EDT July 2, 2020
Updated: 9:10 PM EDT July 2, 2020
The Hill
BY J. EDWARD MORENO
06/30/20 04:11 PM EDT
"More than 1,700 veterans from across the are asking the country are asking the Senate to pass legislation making Washington, D.C. the country's 51st state.
On Friday the House passed legislation that would grant the District statehood, marking the first time such legislation passed either chamber of Congress, but the bill faces steep opposition in the Republican-led Senate."
“Former White House national security adviser Susan Rice says that the federal response to protests in Washington, D.C., illustrates the need to grant statehood to the District.
In an op-ed in The New York Times, Rice blasted President Trump for overruling D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) to use federal forces for crowd control in the District as well as using federal forces to disperse protesters in Lafayette Park using riot shields and chemical agents."
BY ZACK BUDRYK - 06/10/20 01:49 PM EDT
"In a year when the House will spend much of its attention on must-pass bills, the promise by Democratic leaders of a vote on statehood for the District of Columbia emphasizes its importance, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton said.
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer on Wednesday stressed the need for a vote “this year” on Norton’s statehood bill, citing President Donald Trump’s “threats to impose his dangerous and callous will” on Washington. Norton’s measure would make most of the area comprising the District the 51st state.."
By Chris Cioffi
Posted June 5, 2020 at 2:20pm
"One of my earliest memories is of walking along a burned-out 14th Street in my hometown, Washington, D.C., in 1968, holding one parent’s hand as the other pushed my brother in a stroller; I was 4 years old. They took us to witness the destruction that arose from rage following the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and later to the Poor People’s Campaign for economic justice encamped on a muddy National Mall.
My parents wanted to teach us that the America they loved harbored injustices and systemic racism, yet it was a union we had a duty to try to perfect.
Fifty-two years later, not nearly enough has changed..."
By Susan Rice. June 9, 2020
Opinion, The New York Times
"Two new members of Congress have signed onto legislation that would make D.C. the 51st state, the week after the president deployed military and federal law enforcement on District streets.
Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) has signed on to the legislation in the upper chamber, bringing the total number of co-sponsors to 36, and Representative Ron Kind (D-Wisconsin) is on board in the House, bringing the total co-sponsors to 224. This represents the most legislative support that a measure for D.C. statehood has ever had, and includes enough votes to pass in the House.
“There’s a real sense this bill is becoming irresistible because it is bringing together so many inflection points of the moment,” says D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton."
DCIST | JUN 9, 5:14 PM
by Rachel Kurzius
"Hoyer was one of several lawmakers to link the cause of statehood to the federal response to the protests in the nation’s capital.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) simply tweeted “D.C. statehood,” to which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) replied, “Now.” Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.), Sen Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) weighed in on Twitter as well."
June 4, 2020 at 3:01 p.m. CDT
The lesson of Lyndon B. Johnson deploying troops in Washington in 1968
"A Morning Consult poll showed that a majority of Americans support cities calling out the National Guard or U.S. military to address protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. What remains unclear is whether this support would extend to President Trump unilaterally deploying troops, especially in the nation’s capital. This distinction is crucially important, as illustrated by President Lyndon B. Johnson’s use of troops in Washington, D.C., during the uprising after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Dispatching troops to the nation’s capital isn’t simply about restoring order. It’s part of a pattern of suppressing black activism, undermining Washington’s black leaders and subverting rule by local officials attuned — and accountable — to the needs of their community."
Washington Post
June 5, 2020 at 5:00 a.m. CDT
By Lauren Pearlman
“Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a non-voting delegate for D.C. and a strong proponent of statehood for the city, has arranged a bet that could give statehood a publicity bump if the Nationals win.
Norton made the bet with her Houston-based friend and fellow congresswoman, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and it hinges on the outcome of the World Series.
If the Astros win, Norton will pose for a photo with Jackson Lee in an Astros jersey. But if the Nationals win, Jackson Lee and her staff will take photos wearing D.C. statehood shirts, to spread the word about the cause in Texas."
October 22nd 2019
by ABC7Tuesday,
"More Maryland residents favor than oppose statehood for the District, a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll finds, in contrast with national surveys showing that most Americans are against making the city the 51st state.
The survey also shows that Marylanders widely oppose making the District a new county in Maryland, a proposal often offered as an alternative to statehood."
Oct. 21, 2019 at 1:14 p.m. CDT
By
Robert McCartney and
Scott Clement
"Growing up in D.C. during the civil rights era made the fight for D.C. statehood deeply personal for civil rights advocate Wade Henderson. He’s said that being unable to secure a voting representative in Congress is one of his greatest disappointments. Christina Cauterucci speaks with Henderson about the fight for statehood and why he still has hope for the movement.
This episode is a part of Slate’s Who Counts? initiative. In the run-up to the 2020 election, Slate will be investigating who counts in the voting booth, who counts as an American, whose money counts in the democratic process, and whose doesn’t. And we need your help."
OCT 10, 20195:00 AM
Slate’s Who Counts? initiative
"Ahead of the first D.C. statehood hearing in decades in the House of Representatives, we’ve got answers to all the questions you were afraid to ask about the District’s bid to become the 51st state."
DCIST | SEP 19
by Natalie Delgadillo, Rachel Kurzius, Rachel Sadon
"Congress is gearing up to hold its first hearing on D.C. statehood in 25 years. Statehood backers Bo Shuff and Tamyra Harrison will both be on Capitol Hill on Thursday, but they joined Jim Lokay the night before to talk about what they expect to hear.
September 18, 2019
By Jim LokayPosted
“For 218 years Washingtonians have lived in the nation’s capital, yet we’re not equal. We pay the highest federal capita,” Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said.
"The hearing, in the House of Representatives, is expected to draw large crowds from all across the country."
“It would be the first hearing on D.C. statehood in the house in over 25 years,” Norton said.Washington Post Wednesday, September 18th 2019
By Anna-Lysa Gayle/ABC
"Washington is generations of families who’ve been going to Lee’s Flower and Card Shop since it opened in 1945 or who have been getting their children’s first shoes at Ramer’s since 1982. It’s got go-go music and mumbo sauce. It’s a place of neighborhoods that throw block parties and neighbors who battle for the best lawn..."
Washington Post 7/17/19
By Petula Dvorak
“This poll is very valuable for two reasons. First, it shows that D.C. statehood, for the first time, has become a national issue. Second, it reinforces our view that the majority of Americans are still unaware that D.C. residents do not have equal representation in their own national government,” Holmes Norton said in a statement."
Roll Call Posted Jul 15, 2019 4:47 PM
by Chris Cioffi
“Our statehood hearing is essential to move our bill to passage, but it serves another important purpose as well,” Norton said Saturday. “This hearing will inform people of what most do not know – that the residents of their nation’s capital do not have full voting rights in the House and have no representation in the Senate."
The Hill - 07/13/19 04:39 PM EDT
BY JOHN BOWDEN
"...But many organizations had tents at the Corn Feed, with hopes of spreading the word about their particular causes. It included a mix of national groups with local chapters and Iowa-based groups. There was an Iowa-based group fighting for statehood for Washington, D.C., with help from the national group 51 for 51, which was at the Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame celebration in June."
The Gazette July 14, 2019
by John Steppe
"The effort, called 51 For 51, officially launched on Tuesday outside the U.S. Capitol, where Washingtonians still don’t have full representation. It describes itself as a “coalition comprised of D.C.-based and national groups committed to equal representation rights for D.C.’s over 700,000 residents.” The local groups involved include D.C. Vote, Neighbors for D.C. Statehood, and D.C. for Democracy, alongside national groups like Indivisible, Town Hall Project, and NORML."
DCist May 23, 2019
by Rachel Kurzius
"I think it’s entirely possible that many if not most Americans don’t realize that D.C. residents lack congressional representation and might change their views if they learned that fact, though we can’t know for sure until someone asks that on a poll. But if there’s one thing preventing D.C. statehood from getting more support, it’s almost certainly that Democrats just haven’t made it a priority."
Washington Post July 17 at 3:39 PM
By Paul Waldman
For Immediate Release: May 29, 2019
Contacts: Iowa - Tamyra Harrison, 515-493-0051, tamyra@iowansfordcstatehood.com
D.C. – Stasha Rhodes, 985-414-9743, stasharhodes3@gmail.com
Iowans For D.C. Statehood Partnering with Washington D.C. Organization, 51 For 51, in RAGBRAI Festivities July 20 – 27
Des Moines, IA – Iowans For D.C. Statehood is an Iowa non-profit working to educate and engage Iowans in support of statehood for Washington D.C. They will have a team in this year’s RAGBRAI in Iowa and plan to have a booth in most overnight towns along the route, an opportunity to interact with tens of thousands of bicyclists riding across the state in July.
A new national campaign, 51 for 51, launched a multi-state effort for D.C. Statehood and is working in key primary states to elevate the issue. 51 for 51 demands that the Senate amend its rules so that 51 votes is enough to pass a DC statehood bill in the Senate.
“We are very excited to partner with 51 for 51 on RAGBRAI and future projects here in Iowa. Our missions line up, and I am a big believer of not reinventing the wheel. We will be able to accomplish so much more working together. With our local grassroots movement already in place and developed networking, combined with their expertise and resources, we can really make something happen that will inspire other individuals and states,” said Tamyra Harrison, President and Founder of Iowans For D.C. Statehood. “There is very real momentum happening that we have to keep building on. Statehood for the people of D.C. is a fight that has been going on far too long, but right now you can sense a change, a shift, and you can see the path to get there. Campaigns like 51 for 51 and ours just need to light and lead the way.”
WHO: Iowans For D.C. Statehood and 51 For 51
WHAT: Partnering on RAGBRAI and future projects here in Iowa
When: RAGBRAI is July 20 – 27, 2019.
Where: It begins in Council Bluffs, IA. Thousands of bicyclists travel across the state with
overnight stops in Atlantic, Winterset, Indianola, Centerville, Fairfield, Burlington and ending in Keokuk.
As Democrats look for ways to overhaul the political system, statehood advocates in the nation's capital see opportunity.
May 20, 2019, 9:04 AM CDT
By Alex Seitz-Wald
The group "Iowans for DC Statehood" is taking the issue to presidential candidates
Author: Ines de La Cuetara
Published: 9:03 PM EDT April 18, 2019
Updated: 8:47 AM EDT April 19, 2019
Washington D.C. has long fought for statehood, and now the movement is making its way to any presidential candidate’s first stop on the campaign trail.
“I’m embarrassed myself that there’s not more attention to this issue,” said Tamyra Harrison, who lives in Des Moines and founded the group “Iowans for DC Statehood” after she learned Washingtonians are not entitled to any representation in U.S. Congress.
DCist
APR 17, 1:28 PM
Rachel Kurzius
Nearly an hour and 20 minutes into Cory Booker’s town hall on Tuesday in Des Moines, the New Jersey senator and Democratic presidential candidate faced a question from an Iowan wearing a pin that said “51 now” on it. The woman introduced herself as Tamyra Harrison, the founder and director of Iowans for D.C. Statehood.
On April 12, 2019, Iowa U.S. Representative Abby Finkenauer became the 203rd co-sponsor of H.R. 51, The Washington D.C. Admission Act. We are grateful to have the support of another member of our Iowa delegation for the people of D.C.
March 31, 2019
The Insiders
Dave Price, WhOTV
Sen. Paul Strauss Talks About Making Washington, D.C. a State with Dave Price on The Insiders on WHOTV 13, Des Moines, IA
District of Columbia Statehood
Iowa Live
By: Jessica Thomas
Posted: Mar 29, 2019 10:24 AM CDT
Updated: Mar 29, 2019 10:24 AM CDT
D.C. Senator Paul Strauss talks about the fight for statehood and an event in Iowa with Iowans For D.C. Statehood.
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG ON TRUMP, ISLAMOPHOBIA, AND HIS PRESIDENTIAL BID
SIDENTIAL BID
March 21 2019, 5:00 a.m.
Another major political figure has weighed in on the D.C. statehood debate.
Patch
By Dan Taylor, Patch Staff | Jan 30, 2019 4:45 pm ET
"Just a couple of weeks after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez signed on to a D.C. statehood bill, Warren tweeted that despite having a higher population than Wyoming or Vermont, D.C. residents don't have a voice in government.
She urged her followers to sign a petition to make D.C. the 51st state."
Tamyra Harrison, President and Founder of Iowans For D.C. Statehood is taking her concerns directly to the candidates.
History is being made in congress in the fight to bring equal representation to over 700,000 fellow Americans.
At an event at Grand View University on March 28, 2019, we heard from Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, Tamyra Harrison, Founder of Iowans For D.C. Statehood and our very special guest, D.C. Senator Paul Strauss who discussed the struggles D.C. residents face, why this is long overdue and how Iowans can make a difference! For more information email info@iowansfordcstatehood.com
Iowans For DC Statehood's Founder, Tamyra Harrison, traveled to D.C. for the historic hearing, beginning with a press conference with other organizations in front of the Capitol!
Later that day Iowans For DC Statehood met with Congresswoman Cindy Axne and secured her co-sponsorship of H.R. 51, leaving us 1 voting member away from passing in the House!
Iowans For DC Statehood again joined other organizations including Sen. Paul Strauss, DC Vote and 51 for 51, speaking at a Young Democrats Happy Hour event the night before the hearing.
No one picture can capture the energy. People filled the hearing room, two overflow rooms and several hundred watched outside on a big screen. For a time, #DCStatehood was trending on Twitter!
We didn't have an appointment and just missed Sen. Ernst, but Drew in Grassley's office made time to talk with us to find out Sen. Grassley's position.
We woke up in DC the morning of the 20th to this news and nothing could have made the trip better! It can now pass a vote in the House!
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