The lower house of Congress passed a law giving the rights of the Metropolitan area the 51st state
On 26 June, the House of representatives of the U.S. Congress approved a bill granting the district of Columbia, which includes the capital, Washington, rights the 51st state. As reported by Politico, the document was adopted by 232 votes.
Only one representative of the democratic majority of the lower house did not support the draft law, opposed by all Republicans.
The document envisages the expansion of political rights of black Americans, who make up a large part of the population of the Metropolitan area. In the case of a law 700-thousand Washington will have the right to elect one member of the house of representatives and two senators that could potentially change the balance of power in Congress in favor of the Democratic party, the newspaper notes.
Senate majority leader Republican Mitch McConnell has already stated that it will not allow the passage of the bill through the upper chamber.
The representative of the district of Columbia in Congress (non-voting) Eleanor Norton has acknowledged on its website that the Democrats do not count on the support of the Senate and the White house, but today, celebrating the victory.
For the first time such a bill was introduced to Congress in 1993, but then he did not pass the lower house.
