Varun Hukeri
Reporter
January 15, 2021 9:24 PM ET
Democrats are heading into this year with control over the White House and majorities in both chambers of Congress after Republican losses in the presidential election and Georgia Senate runoffs.
Granting statehood to Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico has gained traction among progressive Democrats and could be considered in the upcoming Congress.
Progressives argue that adding D.C. and Puerto Rico as the union’s two newest states is a matter of representation. But the move appears more like a power grab to control the Senate, as pushing through statehood for both would add four likely Democratic seats, according to Five Thirty Eight.
Granting statehood would first require ending the filibuster, a move that moderate Democrats like West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin have already ruled out. But the issue goes beyond party politics — here’s why progressives may need to think twice about their plan to grant D.C. and Puerto Rico statehood.
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https://dailycaller.com/2021/01/15/washington-dc-puerto-rico-statehood-progressives-democrats-congress/
