House Democrats recently voted to grant statehood to Washington, DC without a single Republican vote.
People suspected this would hit roadblocks in the Senate and now it definitely has.
West Virginia Democrat Senator Joe Manchin has said he will not support the idea.
The Democrat margin in the Senate is so thin that this is a big problem for them.
FOX News reports:
Manchin deals DC statehood — and Dems — another blow
Democrats’ quest to make Washington, D.C., the 51st state hit a big roadblock this week in the form of a fellow Democrat.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he opposed Congress alone creating the new state and he believes, like Republicans have argued, that statehood for the nation’s capital needs to be done through a constitutional amendment.
“If Congress wants to make D.C. a state, it should propose a constitutional amendment,” Manchin said in an interview with the West Virginia MetroNews radio network, according to The Associated Press. “It should propose a constitutional amendment and let the people of America vote.”
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In a 50-50 split Senate, D.C. statehood already had a tough shot of becoming a reality because as long as the legislative filibuster is in place the proposal would require 60 votes to advance. Republicans have been squarely opposed to elevating the federal district to statehood status arguing it’s an unconstitutional powerplay by Democrats to add two more liberal senators to the upper chamber.
Manchin, a moderate member from a red state, has been outspoken in his opposition to eliminating the legislative filibuster too.
Democrats are really angry about this.
Joe Manchin is dead wrong. There is no excuse to deny thousands and thousands of people their right to equal representation. I'm done with excuses. DC Statehood now. https://t.co/hzDSSp27YX
— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) April 30, 2021
Joe Manchin now says DC can't get statehood basically because he doesn't feel like it. One day we're going to find out if @JoeBiden is President or if it's Manchin. I really don't know who it'll be because Biden would have to fight him to win & I don't know that he has it in him.
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) May 1, 2021
Some notes for Joe Manchin:
1. DC Statehood does NOT require a constitutional amendment. Congress CAN grant 700,000 Americans a vote & fair representation.
2. You said you don't support #ForThePeopleAct as written, but you co-sponsored it in 2019. What gives @Sen_JoeManchin? https://t.co/px1otYAUsC
— Nick Knudsen 🇺🇸 (@NickKnudsenUS) April 30, 2021
The only reason Democrats want to do this is to gain more power and everyone knows it.
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