China News Agency, Washington, June 26 (Reporter Shahan Ting) The US House of Representatives voted to pass the bill on the 26th local time, setting Washington DC as the 51st state in the United States. Next, the Senate will vote on the bill.
In the vote that day, 232 votes in favor and 180 votes against. The voting results are almost in accordance with the party line, only one Democratic MP voted against, and all Republican MPs voted against. This is the first time in the history of the establishment of a state in Washington DC that it was voted in the House of Representatives.
Eleanor Holmes Norton, a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives of Washington, DC, said on the same day that whether based on facts or the Constitution, Washington DC should be set as a state. Washington DC has a larger population than Wyoming and Vermont; Washington has a $155.5 billion annual budget of more than 12 states; and Washington’s AAA credit rating is better than 35 states. Residents of Washington deserve the constitutional rights of citizens of other states.
The capital, Washington, DC, has more than 700,000 residents, but it has no seats in the Senate or House of Representatives. If Washington is set as a state, Washington will receive 2 senator seats and 1 senator seat.
Although the bill is passed in the House of Representatives, it will face strong resistance from Republican lawmakers in the Senate. Many Republican lawmakers said that Democrats promoted the bill solely for “political purposes”, in order to increase the Democratic Party’s seat in Congress.
President Trump of the United States has stated recently that "Will never allow Washington, D.C. to become a state, this will never be possible."
Washington DC has always belonged to the Democratic Party, with African Americans accounting for 45.5%. The House of Representatives voted on the establishment of a state in Washington, DC in 1993, but failed to pass it. (Finish)