Legislation that would make Washington DC 51st state introduced to Senate

Residents of Washington DC have only a non-voting representative in the House and no representation in the Senate

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Sen. Tom Carper introduced legislation to the Senate that could allow Washington DC to become the 51st US state.

The legislation, S. 51, is called the DC Admissions Act, and, if passed, would make Washington DC a fully fledged state.

Many of the more than 700,000 residents of Washington DC have long argued for their statehood, as they pay taxes but do not have representation in the Senate. and only a non-voting Congressperson in the House.

Democrats have traditionally backed the move, as residents of Washington DC tend to be liberal and vote with the Democratic Party.

Republicans, naturally, do not want the district to gain statehood for the same reason.

"This isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue; it’s an American issue because the lack of fair representation for DC residents is clearly inconsistent with the values on which this country was founded," Mr Carper said in a statement.

The bill was first introduced in 2013, but has been tabled until now.

In order for the legislation to pass, Senate Democrats will need to convince 10 Republicans to vote in support of the measure.

In the event that the Senate removed the filibuster, it could also end with Vice President Kamala Harris casting a tie-breaking vote and granting the district statehood.

Calls for Washington DC to become its own state have increased both in the wake of the 2016 election, in which Donald Trump won the electoral college but lost the popular vote, and in the aftermath of the Capitol insurrection, during which the city's leadership could not activate the National Guard because it is not actually a state.

Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington DC, called for the district to be recognised as a state in a recent statement.

“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," Bowser said.