Resolution Supporting Statehood for Washington, DC
Adopted at the 84th Annual Meeting in 2016
WHEREAS, there are currently more than 672,000 residents in Washington, DC, a population larger than the states of Wyoming and Vermont; and
WHEREAS, residents of Washington, DC are required to and do perform all the obligations of United States citizenship including serving in the military, serving on federal juries, and paying federal taxes; and
WHEREAS, 29,000 residents of Washington, DC are veterans yet do not have any voting members of Congress to represent them; and
WHEREAS, residents of Washington, DC paid more than $26.4 billion in taxes in 2014, more than 22 states; and
WHEREAS, the government of Washington, DC has long demonstrated the capacity for self-government and financial responsibility, including high bond ratings and balanced budgets for the last 21 years; and
WHEREAS, Washington, DC operates as a city, county, and state government and already performs the tasks and duties assigned to states, including administering state health and human service programs, federal block grant programs, a Department of Motor Vehicles, an education system, transit and transportation systems, and public safety and homeland security duties; and
WHEREAS, Congress has total control over Washington, DC's policies, including the ability to overturn laws enacted by the District's duly-elected Council and passed by referendum with the support of a majority of residents; and
WHEREAS, the residents of Washington, DC have no voice over what wars are declared, how their federal tax contributions are spent, how their taxes are to be collected, and how any of the vital national issues affecting residents on a daily basis are to be resolved; and
WHEREAS, Congress has the ability to make changes to Washington, DC's spending of locally-raised dollars by inserting riders on DC's budget; and
WHEREAS, the residents of Washington, DC desire to become a full state, with full voting representation in Congress and full autonomy from Congress; and
WHEREAS, The United States Conference of Mayors advocates for the power of local control for municipalities and their governments; and
WHEREAS, The United States Conference of Mayors supports democracy for all residents in the United States of America; and
WHEREAS, as early as 1979 The United States Conference of Mayors called for full voting rights for the citizens of the District of Columbia,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports statehood for Washington, DC.