Washington, DC

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser released the following statement on the path forward for making DC the 51st state in the 117th Congress.

“Washingtonians have waited over 200 years for the representation we deserve as American citizens. And it is not just the residents of DC who bear the burden of our disenfranchisement. To paraphrase Dr. King: when any American is denied democracy, our entire nation is denied those voices and votes. But now, we are ready to finally fix this injustice by getting statehood on President Biden’s desk within the first 100 days of the 117th Congress. With our seats at the table, we can help build back better than ever before. Just like the millions of Americans who voted nationwide and the thousands who organized and voted in Georgia, we are ready to build a more perfect union – one in which all voices are heard, one in which we work together to uplift families in cities, and suburbs, and small towns, and one in which the 712,000 residents of Washington, DC have full access to our nation’s democracy.”