Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I thank my good friend, the gentlewoman, for her leadership on this D.C. statehood bill. Congress has both the moral…”

“I thank my good friend, the gentlewoman, for her leadership on this D.C. statehood bill. Congress has both the moral obligation and the constitutional authority to pass H.R. 51. This country was founded on the principles of no taxation without representation and consent of the governed, but D.C. residents are taxed without representation and cannot consent to the laws under which they, as American citizens, must live. The State of Washington, D.C., would consist of 66 of the 68 miles of the present-day Federal District. The Federal District would be 2 square miles, and Congress would retain plenary authority over it. H.R. 51 complies with the Constitution, including the Admissions Clause, the District Clause, and the 23rd Amendment. The Admissions Clause gives Congress the authority to admit new States. All 37 new States were admitted by Congress. No State was admitted by constitutional amendment, and no State would have to consent to the admission of the State of Washington, D.C. The District Clause gives Congress plenary authority over the Federal District and establishes a maximum size of the Federal District--100 square miles. It does not establish a minimum size or a location of the Federal District. Congress reduced the size of the Federal District by 30 percent in 1846. The 23rd Amendment allows the Federal District to participate in the electoral college. H.R.…”