“The Administration strongly supports H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act,” the White House said in a statement. “Establishing the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth as the 51st state will make our Union stronger and more just.”
Washington, DC overwhelmingly votes Democratic in all its mayoral, city council and House of Representatives elections. Adding two reliable Democratic senators would give the party a permanent edge in the currently evenly-divided Senate.
The US House Oversight Committee approved the bill on Wednesday, sending it on for a full House vote.
The measure faces long odds for approval in the Senate due to Republican opposition. Apart from constitutional arguments, Republicans say the overwhelmingly Democrat city would shift the political balance in Congress.
