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Rep. Maxine Waters on the Historic Passage of the D.C. Statehood Bill

June 26, 2020

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, expressed her strong support for H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act -- a bill to make D.C. the 51st state in our Union and give equal representation to 700,000 American citizens. H.R. 51 was passed by the House today, and the vote marked the first time in history that Congress has passed a D.C. statehood bill.

A video of Congresswoman Waters' floor speech can be found here.

A transcript of her remarks can be found below.

I rise to support H.R. 51, theWashington, D.C. Admission Act, which would end centuries of taxation without representation and make Washington, D.C. the 51st state.

Washington, D.C. is the home to more Americans than two states, and more than forty-six percent of its 700,000 residents are Black. Make no mistake: race underlies every argument against D.C. statehood, and denying its citizens equal participation and representation is a racial, democratic, and economic injustice we cannot tolerate.

It must be acknowledged that the chance to right these wrongs with today's vote would not be possible without my good friend Eleanor Holmes Norton. We were both elected at the same time, and she has been dogged and consistent every single year since then in her fight for this bill and D.C. statehood.

I am so pleased to join my friend in today's milestone vote, and I am hopeful that Eleanor's long efforts will finally give D.C. the rights it deserves.

I yield back.

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