WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA), along with 39 of their Senate colleagues, introduced the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, legislation that would establish statehood for the District of Columbia and grant D.C. citizens full congressional representation.

“All Americans deserve to have their voices fully heard in our democracy,” said the senators. “But Virginia’s neighbors in D.C. don’t have the same representation in Congress as other states and are unfairly subjected to taxation without representation—a denial of political freedom that defies the ideological framework upon which our Founding Fathers established this nation. We are proud to support this legislation to recognize D.C. as the 51^st state.”

Specifically, the legislation would also ensure that the citizens and elected leaders of the District of Columbia have full authority over local affairs, including over the selection of judges to fill vacancies on D.C. courts. Additionally, the bill would designate the areas surrounding the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, and the National Mall as the national capital and seat of the federal government, and this area would remain under Congress’ jurisdiction as mandated by the Constitution.

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D -D.C.-At-Large) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 7, 2025. As the delegate for the District of Columbia, Norton is able to introduce bills, but D.C.’s lack of statehood prevents her from voting on any legislation, depriving Washingtonians the same full representation enjoyed by citizens of the 50 states.

D.C. residents have voted overwhelmingly for statehood. In November 2016, 79 percent of D.C. residents voted in favor of a referendum that petitioned Congress to admit D.C. as the 51^st state.

The Washington, D.C. Admission Act is cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

The full text of the bill is available here.

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