D.C. Statehood Is Back

In the minds of many D.C. residents, the idea, if not the reality, of statehood, has never really left. Almost every person who’s been elected mayor of the District of Columbia has picked up the statehood flag and vowed to work hard to make it happen.
“What do we want?” “Statehood!” “When do we want it?” “Now!”

That rallying cry has been heard often over many years. It got some new urgency recently when Mayor Muriel Bowser picked up the banner by way of the District’s $13-billion Fiscal 2017 budget, which will be sent to Congress this year. When that happens, the city has promised not to ask the federal government for permission to spend its money the way it wants to.

That could mean a showdown with Congress, which routinely folds the District’s budget into the federal budget, retaining the right of approval. This challenge to Congress, according to the mayor, is another step toward the ultimate goal of statehood for the District of Columbia.

This is always a popular choice for mayors engaging in a fight with the federal government. We have one representative in Congress, who can deliberate but cannot vote. And the committee with oversight duties has had a historic and at times notorious penchant for disrespecting both elected District officials and legislation that they have been passed, including gun laws.

Even if you’re not a big fan of statehood — it can sound and feel better as an idea than as a practical reality — Congressional committee members have often acted in ways that make you want to march down the avenue and get thrown in jail in protest.

Consider the recent House subcommittee hearing on the difficulties surrounding Metro. Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans, who now chairs the Metro board, asked the government for $300 million from Congress. “Do you want there to be safety? You want this to be reliable? Or do you just want to leave here and do nothing?” Evans said.

But here comes Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.), self-presumed to have amazing individual powers. “I’m not going to bail you out,” he said. Then, turning to Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld, he said, “You need to get in there and fire people and get that place in order.”

That kind of language historically has been common, especially from little-known members of Congress trying to flex their muscles in public.

It’s enough to make you yell back: “Statehood now!”