The Patriot Post® · House Dems Pass Power-Grabbing DC Statehood Bill

On Thursday, and for the second time in as many years, House Democrats passed the all-too-cleverly numbered HR 51, their bill granting statehood to Washington, DC. Last June, along a similar party-line vote, Democrats passed a DC statehood bill that had no chance of seeing the light of day in the Republican-controlled Senate. However, this time around — with the Senate evenly divided but controlled by Democrats via the tiebreaking vote of President-in-Waiting Kamala Harris — they have an outside chance of success. Of course, this would likely require the elimination of the filibuster, which thus far Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) has refused to budge on.

Even still, as we have argued, turning DC into the 51st state would require a constitutional amendment, further limiting its prospects. Likewise, GOP Senator John Kennedy (LA) observed that the Democrats’ “power grab” is “unconstitutional.”

But whoever accused the Democrats of being concerned about constitutional fidelity? The DC statehood gambit is a purely partisan power play intentionally designed to grant the Democrats a two-seat Senate majority that would open wide the gates for the implementation of their radical socialist agenda. Congressman James Comer (R-KY) warned, “Let’s be clear what HR 51 is all about: It’s about Democrats adding two new progressive U.S. senators to push a radical agenda championed by the Squad to reshape America into the socialist utopia they always talk about.”

If it were truly about representation for the people of the District, there are better options.

Unfortunately, what this vote demonstrates is that there are no moderate Democrats left in the House. The vote passed along strict party lines, 216 to 208, with not a single Republican voting in favor. Clearly, the Democrats aren’t interested in fair play or compromise, as their radical leftist agenda with its Marxist-based equity ethic cannot abide Liberty. Tyranny always destroys justice, rights, and individual freedom. For the Democrat ruling class to further exercise control over Americans’ lives, it must check or eliminate the power of the opposing party. History has repeatedly demonstrated that one-party rule is a recipe for tyranny.