Congress blocked the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51) throughout the 2023-2024 session despite House passage in 2021, leaving 712,000 district residents without voting representation in the Senate or full House voting rights. Republicans unanimously oppose statehood, making the Senate filibuster an insurmountable barrier without 60 votes or rule changes.
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress "plenary legislative authority" over a federal district "not exceeding 10 Miles square" to serve as the "Seat of the Government." The 1973 Home Rule Act gave D.C. an elected mayor and 13-member council, but Congress must approve all local laws before they take effect, and district residents pay federal taxes at some of the nation's highest rates without Senate representation. H.R. 51 would shrink the federal district to the Capitol, White House, Supreme Court, and National Mall, making the remaining residential areas a new state called Washington, Douglass Commonwealth with two senators and one representative.