WASHINGTON – Supporters of the District of Columbia’s quest for statehood believe the time is right to bring this long-simmering and racially charged issue to fruition.
But Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser's clashes with Republicans at a House hearing Monday made clear that the issue is far from settled, even with Democrats controlling the presidency and Congress.
With a new statehood bill working its way through Congress, outnumbered Republicans are marshaling their defenses — complaining about a Democratic power play, claiming statehood was never the intention of the country’s founding fathers, and insisting that Congress doesn’t even have the right to grant statehood to D.C.