Statement from Mayor Bowser on the Markup of H.R. 51

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser issued the following statement after the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a markup of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51), sending it to the House floor for consideration:

“As we get ready to celebrate DC Emancipation Day, we are reminded that Washingtonians are still not free and we will not be free until we have the representation in Congress that we deserve as taxpaying American citizens. But today we are one step closer to finally righting this 220-year-old wrong. We thank Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney for fighting for Washingtonians and prioritizing DC statehood. Last year, we came closer to DC statehood than ever before. Now, with another House vote just one week away and historic support for DC statehood in the Senate, we are ready to finally end the disenfranchisement of more than 700,000 Americans and make Washington, DC the 51st state.”

On Friday, April 16, residents can watch “Becoming Douglass Commonwealth: From DC Disenfranchisement to Full Democracy” at 4 pm on WUSA9 and at 8 pm on DCN (Channel 16).