House set to vote on DC statehood, but all eyes are on the Senate – By Chris Cioffi (Roll Call) / April 22 2021
No one planning a victory parade as GOP condemns bill as ‘power grab’
Thursday is kind of a big day for advocates for making Washington, D.C., a state.
The House will vote on a statehood bill for the second year in a row, and Democrats are once again confident it will pass. Still, no one is planning a victory parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, even though it is lined with 51-star flags.
“We know that we have a much bigger hill to climb in the U.S. Senate,” said Joshua Burch, founder of the grassroots group Neighbors United for DC Statehood.
Last year, the action in the House was historic. This year, the focus has already shifted to the other chamber, as the issue takes the national stage and impatience mounts among groups who’ve been waiting for a long time.
The Senate was the main thing on people’s minds at a rally near Brooklyn’s Prospect Park over the weekend, more than 200 miles from the nation’s capital.
