Ahead of Flag Day, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered flags with 51 stars to be raised in the district because “DC’s disenfranchisement is a stain on American democracy – a 220-year-old wrong that demands to be righted.”
In a statement posted to her government website on Monday, the mayor said, “Today, ahead of Flag Day, I directed our team to hang 51-star flags along Pennsylvania Avenue as a reminder to Congress and the nation that the 700,000 tax-paying American citizens living in Washington, DC demand to be recognized.”
Bowser noted that the “DC Admission Act” has been passed by the House and she called on the Senate to act.
The mayor also weighed in on the Supreme Court’s imminent decision on Roe v. Wade and expressed support for “common sense gun reforms.”
“As Americans nationwide brace for a decision on the future of Roe v. Wade, we are also reminded that DC’s disenfranchisement impacts not just Americans living in DC, but Americans nationwide who share our values. While the stakes are even higher for Washingtonians, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the majority of Americans who believe in a woman’s right to choose. We also stand shoulder to shoulder with the majority of Americans demanding common sense gun reforms, and with the majority of Americans who want to build a more inclusive democracy.
“We are at an inflection point for American democracy, and it is within the Senate’s power to do the right thing, embrace representation, and move DC statehood forward to the President’s desk,” the mayor concluded.
This #FlagDay, 51-star flags along Pennsylvania Ave will serve as a reminder to Congress and the nation that the 700,000 tax-paying American citizens living in DC demand to be recognized.
The Senate must do the right thing, embrace representation & send #DCStatehood to @POTUS.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) June 13, 2022
Although many Americans support Bowser’s order to fly the altered U.S. flags, others expressed strong disapproval.
how about doing something about violent crime in DC?
— Abigail Marone 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) June 13, 2022
Desecrating the flag is a felony. There’s a reason DC isn’t a state, and as a mayor, you should know it. Embarrassing.
— ✨Tuggs✨ (@thattugglife) June 13, 2022
Average gas price is $5.25 a gallon and violent crime is at an all-time high. The mayor’s #1 concern is getting Democrats more votes/more power. Ok.
— Mike_In_Houston (@713_News) June 14, 2022
Democrats continue to push for D.C. statehood because they would gain two new senators and one representative, all reliably liberal.
In January 2021, Delaware Sen. Tom Carper, a Democrat, reintroduced a bill which would grant statehood to the district.
In a press release on his Senate website, Carper wrote: “Our nation’s capital is home to more than 700,000 Americans who, despite our nation’s founding mantra — ‘no taxation without representation’ — pay their share of taxes without full voting representation in either chamber of Congress. We must use our voices to call out this historic injustice and right this wrong. I am hopeful that we can finally come together to do just that this Congress.”
Because current Senate rules require a minimum of 60 votes to pass legislation, Democrats would first have to abolish the filibuster. This would allow D.C. statehood (and other legislation) to pass by a simple majority.
Unfortunately for them, Senate Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona are both firmly opposed to ending the filibuster.
A previous version of this article was published on The Western Journal.
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Many years ago, when President Ford (I think it was Mr Ford) suggested statehood for Puerto Rico, an editorial cartoonist came up with a flag with a star in one of the red stripes, a not-so-subtle reminder that Puerto Rico simply isn’t like the English-speaking states.
We need that cartoon again for DC.
Bowser and her entire party leadership are a joke. Even Dems and independents are realizing this. They are no longer a serious political party.
“To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards and other needful Buildings;”
I think Madame Mayor needs an amendment to the Constitution to get her statehood.
To exercise doesn’t mean to allow it to become a state. It is a District for a reason, not a state, and no such legislation can change that, until it becomes an amendment. I doubt that will ever happen. It is the center of the federal government, and Madame Bowser can’t do a thing about that. Congress holds exclusive legislative control over the “District” because it can’t legislate itself, since it is already part of the federal government, and it would be a stretch to see how Congress can give up what the Constitution delegated that power to.