©2025 League of Conservation Voters
Issues
Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sponsored H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would provide statehood to D.C. and its more than 700,000 residents. For far too long, residents of Washington, D.C. have been denied a vote in Congress and the ability to govern locally without the threat of targeted interference. D.C. residents face a disproportionate impact of our federal government’s failure to act on climate and other pressing environmental harms. Low-income, Black and Indigenous communities have historically suffered the consequences of pollution and public health risks, and D.C. residents, more than half of whom are people of color, have experienced this environmental racism for generations. H.R. 51 seeks to address this injustice by admitting D.C. into the union with full representation in Congress. On April 22, the House approved H.R. 51 by a vote of 216-208 (House roll call vote 132). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. The Senate took no action on this legislation in 2021.
©2025 League of Conservation Voters