U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) proudly voted in favor of landmark legislation to admit the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth as the 51st member of the United States of America.

“Residents of our nation’s capital pay their taxes like you and me. In fact, D.C. residents pay more federal taxes per capita than any other Americans and more federal taxes than the residents of 22 states,” said Rep. Pascrell, a cosponsor of the watershed H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. “But unlike citizens in every other state, they have no representation in our Congress. I don’t think that’s fair, and it’s why I’m voting for D.C. Statehood.

“Statehood isn’t about politics; it is about justice and equality. The failure to provide representation has been an insidious way to withhold political power from minority communities. That the objections of some statehood opponents are coated in barely-veiled racism bears this out. But denial of true representation in Congress is nothing less than a denial of a voice. It’s been 61 years since Alaska and Hawaii joined our Union – like today, via direct legislation and not a constitutional amendment. With the House’s vote, the District of Columbia will join them. ‘51st State’ has a nice ring to it. It’s time for D.C. Statehood.”