Cindy Carr, cindy.carr@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the House Government and Oversight Committee passed H.R. 51, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s Washington, D.C. Admission Act. The bill will make D.C. the 51st state, and today’s historic vote marks the first time a bill supporting D.C. Statehood will go to the House floor.
The Sierra Club passed a formal resolution in 2017 in support of DC Statehood, noting that “the rights of the residents of the District of Columbia are abridged when the U.S. Congress imposes its will on local matters -- including important environmental issues facing the District -- and denies citizens who live in the District of Columbia voting representation on federal issues in both houses of the U.S. Congress.”
Just yesterday, Donald Trump released his FY2021 budget which further restricts how D.C. is able to spend its own funds. Currently, D.C. has more permanent residents than the states of Vermont and Wyoming, yet the District’s only member of Congress, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, has no voting power on the floor of the House of Representatives.
In response, Sierra Club D.C. Chapter Chair Catherine Plume released the following statement:
"The Sierra Club applauds Congresswoman Norton for her tireless effort to ensure the full democratic rights of all D.C. residents is realized. All who call D.C. home should have the ability to take meaningful action to address the climate crisis, have control over how their own tax dollars are spent, and have input on federal issues that affect the country. We call on the full House to pass H.R. 51 without delay.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.