House Passes Legislation to make DC a State
Today the House passed legislation to make DC a state (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-passes-dc-statehood-bill-to-make-district-51st-state). The District currently operates under a special status forged by our Founders in the Constitution, whereby residents cast votes for president and municipal political leaders (who have substantial power over the District’s day-to-day affairs under the Home Rule Act), as well as an observational representative in Congress. While these rules may seem absurd to those involved in modern-day politics, there are good reasons as to why the Constitution lays out special rules for the federal district.
The Founders intended DC to be a neutral ground where everyone could come together to transact the nation’s business. At the time, state governments were powerful, so a worry about placing the capital within a state was that the state might exercise unfair influence or pressure on the federal government. Today, the influence could go both ways. The Founders were aware of the dangers of placing the capital within a state, which is why James Madison warned in “The Federalst No. 43” of bringing ““imputation of awe or influence” onto the new national government by placing it within a state (https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed43.asp). Also, because DC’s current status is spelled out in the Constitution itself, it should take a Constitutional Amendment to change it.
