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| At D.C. statehood bill markup, Republicans say a constitutional amendment would be needed | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A first-in-a-generation markup of a D.C. statehood bill is underway Tuesday, with advocates out in force and braced for a bruising cross-examination by House Republicans, who oppose making the nation’s capital into the 51st state on ideological, fiscal and constitutional grounds. | |
| Democrats, who hold a majority of seats on the House Oversight Committee committee, are expected to advance the bill to a vote on the House floor, after House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) reversed his long-standing opposition to statehood last spring. | |
| But first they will face parliamentary fights over proposed amendments from their conservative colleagues. | |
| Even if it passes the majority-Democrat chamber, it almost certainly will go no further. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he opposes statehood in part because the move would probably add two Democratic senators, strengthening their power in the narrowly divided chamber. | Even if it passes the majority-Democrat chamber, it almost certainly will go no further. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he opposes statehood in part because the move would probably add two Democratic senators, strengthening their power in the narrowly divided chamber. |
| Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), the top-ranked Republican on the Oversight Committee, said at the start of the hearing that statehood would have to come via a constitutional amendment, not a legislative bill. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) agreed. | |
| “Our Constitution is clear,” he said. “You want to form a 51st state, then knock yourself out. Follow the constitutionally mandated process to make that happen.” | |
| Both Jordan and Rep. Mark Meadows (N.C.), the top-ranked Republican on the subcommittee with jurisdiction over D.C. matters, have said the committee must investigate allegations of waste, fraud and abuse in D.C. government before they’ll look at statehood. | |
| They were handed a potent bit of ammunition last month when longtime D.C. Council member Jack Evans resigned before his colleagues could expel him from office over repeated ethics violations. (Evans is now running for his old seat.) | They were handed a potent bit of ammunition last month when longtime D.C. Council member Jack Evans resigned before his colleagues could expel him from office over repeated ethics violations. (Evans is now running for his old seat.) |
| “Fully understanding Evans’s disturbing ethical transgressions as the WMATA Board Chair and a D.C. Councilmember is a necessary precondition to the committee considering legislation related to D.C. statehood,” they wrote in a letter to Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), the committee chair. | “Fully understanding Evans’s disturbing ethical transgressions as the WMATA Board Chair and a D.C. Councilmember is a necessary precondition to the committee considering legislation related to D.C. statehood,” they wrote in a letter to Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), the committee chair. |
| Democrats counter that every state can point to an elected official who has committed ethics violations. | Democrats counter that every state can point to an elected official who has committed ethics violations. |
| Last week, for example, an Arlington County Board member resigned from the Metro board after failing to repay a $10,000 campaign donation from Metro’s biggest labor union. | Last week, for example, an Arlington County Board member resigned from the Metro board after failing to repay a $10,000 campaign donation from Metro’s biggest labor union. |
| If perfect ethics were a challenge to statehood, “we would have zero states,” said Bo Shuff, who leads the statehood advocacy group D.C. Vote. | If perfect ethics were a challenge to statehood, “we would have zero states,” said Bo Shuff, who leads the statehood advocacy group D.C. Vote. |
| “The D.C. process worked,” he said. “There were accusations, [Evans’s] peers took actions they thought were responsible, and he resigned. Accountability is what matters.” | “The D.C. process worked,” he said. “There were accusations, [Evans’s] peers took actions they thought were responsible, and he resigned. Accountability is what matters.” |
| The disagreement is an example of the debates likely to play out as members consider the statehood bill introduced by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the District’s nonvoting representative. | The disagreement is an example of the debates likely to play out as members consider the statehood bill introduced by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the District’s nonvoting representative. |
| It would shrink the seat of the federal government to a two-square-mile enclave, encompassing the White House, Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court and other federal buildings. The rest of the District would become known as the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, after the famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who lived in Washington for the last part of his life. | It would shrink the seat of the federal government to a two-square-mile enclave, encompassing the White House, Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court and other federal buildings. The rest of the District would become known as the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, after the famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who lived in Washington for the last part of his life. |
| Norton on Friday replaced a bill she introduced last year, H.R. 51, with new language that establishes a Statehood Transition Commission. | Norton on Friday replaced a bill she introduced last year, H.R. 51, with new language that establishes a Statehood Transition Commission. |
| It would have up to two years to work out how and when the new state would disentangle itself from the federal government. The federal government pays an estimated $1.5 billion to $2 billion to fund Medicaid in the city and much of its criminal justice system, including the courts, prison services and supervision of offenders after their release. | It would have up to two years to work out how and when the new state would disentangle itself from the federal government. The federal government pays an estimated $1.5 billion to $2 billion to fund Medicaid in the city and much of its criminal justice system, including the courts, prison services and supervision of offenders after their release. |
| H.R. 51 has 223 Democratic co-sponsors. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), who recently changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, is withdrawing his co-sponsorship, his spokesman said. | H.R. 51 has 223 Democratic co-sponsors. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), who recently changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, is withdrawing his co-sponsorship, his spokesman said. |
| At a September hearing on the bill, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) questioned why the proposed new state would include the Trump International Hotel, in the former Old Post Office building, but exclude the FBI headquarters. Both are in buildings owned by the General Services Administration. | At a September hearing on the bill, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) questioned why the proposed new state would include the Trump International Hotel, in the former Old Post Office building, but exclude the FBI headquarters. Both are in buildings owned by the General Services Administration. |
| Massie plans Tuesday to offer an amendment that would make all contiguous GSA-owned buildings part of the in the federal enclave, not the new state. | Massie plans Tuesday to offer an amendment that would make all contiguous GSA-owned buildings part of the in the federal enclave, not the new state. |
| “[Democrats] have been hating on the Trump International Hotel, and they say it’s not as profitable as promised,” Massie said in an interview Monday. “If it’s such a liability, why do they want it? Clearly they recognize good use of property when they see it.” | “[Democrats] have been hating on the Trump International Hotel, and they say it’s not as profitable as promised,” Massie said in an interview Monday. “If it’s such a liability, why do they want it? Clearly they recognize good use of property when they see it.” |
| A Gallup poll released in July found a clear majority of Americans — 64 percent — do not think the nation’s capital should attain statehood, compared with 29 percent who support the idea. | A Gallup poll released in July found a clear majority of Americans — 64 percent — do not think the nation’s capital should attain statehood, compared with 29 percent who support the idea. |
| An October Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found 51 percent of Maryland residents favor making the District a separate state, compared with 40 percent who are opposed. A full 57 percent opposed making the District a new county in their state, a plan called “retrocession,” the poll found. | An October Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found 51 percent of Maryland residents favor making the District a separate state, compared with 40 percent who are opposed. A full 57 percent opposed making the District a new county in their state, a plan called “retrocession,” the poll found. |
| Scott Clement contributed to this report. | Scott Clement contributed to this report. |
| Jack Evans to run for D.C. Council after resigning seat amid ethics scandal | Jack Evans to run for D.C. Council after resigning seat amid ethics scandal |
| Guards at D.C. government buildings let guns past checkpoints, slept on the job, lawsuit says | Guards at D.C. government buildings let guns past checkpoints, slept on the job, lawsuit says |
| D.C. statehood: What to expect of the first House hearing on the issue in more than 25 years | D.C. statehood: What to expect of the first House hearing on the issue in more than 25 years |
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