WASHINGTON (AP) — Calling it an issue that transcends domestic politics, Democrats controlling the House have slated a vote next week to make the District of Columbia the 51st state.
It's a cause they say has become far more important in the aftermath of protests for racial justice in both Washington and across the nation.
Next Friday’s vote, if successful, would pass a D.C. statehood bill for the first time in the House, but the legislation faces insurmountable opposition in the GOP-controlled Senate.
The administration move to use federal forces to clear peaceful protesters so President Donald Trump could walk to a nearby church for a photo op two weeks ago prompted Democratic leaders to schedule the vote.
