U.S House passes bill that would make D.C. the 51st state of the United States axios.com

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The U.S House of Representatives on Thursday voted 216-208 to pass a bill that would grant statehood to Washington, D.C.

This is the second year in a row that the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has voted to recognize D.C. as the 51st state. The bill now heads to a divided Senate, where it faces little chance of reaching the 60 votes necessary to send to President Biden’s desk.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised to bring the legislation to the chamber’s floor for a vote, but it’s opposed by Republicans and even some Democrats.

How it works: H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, would give the district two senators and a voting representative in the House.

The new state would be called “Washington, Douglass Commonwealth” in honor of abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

It would exclude federal buildings and monuments, and federal territory would be known as the Capital.

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