For the first time ever, during the last session of Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to make the District of Columbia the 51^st state. Led by a Democrat majority, the House passed the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51) on June 25, 2020, arguing that statehood is about representation.

Evidence points more to it being a political power grab with the intent of changing the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Making the District a state would allow a tiny number of residents the same number of electors as the state of Rhode Island, giving it a disproportionate advantage in the Electoral College.

It would also make the federal government dependent on that newly created state for public services. The Constitution calls for a federal district, in part, to keep any one state from being disproportionately helped—or burdened—by the operational needs of the federal government. Turning a majority of the District into a state would violate that principle.

With a Democrat majority in both the House and Senate, the 117th Congress is expected to make D.C. Statehood a legislative priority.