Utah congressional delegation calls DC statehood attempt unconstitutional and a power grab
Apr 22, 2021, 8:18 AM | Updated: 8:47 am
Advocates for statehood for the District of Columbia rally near the Capitol prior to a House of Representatives hearing on creating a fifty-first state, in Washington, Monday, March 22, 2021. The activists were able to gather near the Capitol building after the outer perimeter security fencing was dismantled this weekend. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
SALT LAKE CITY — Members of the Utah congressional delegation oppose the newest efforts in the House of Representatives push for DC statehood.
“It’s a bad idea because it’s clearly unconstitutional,” Representative Chris Stewart (R-UT) told KSL’s Dave and Dujanovic Show on Wednesday.
And Stewart said it’s not just him making that point.
“Every justice department for more than 60 years has came to the same conclusion, you can’t do this without a constitutional amendment,” he said.
He said current DC residents knew the situation before moving there, because it has been this way for 220 years adding Democrats wouldn’t back the bill if DC were a Republican area.
“This is about getting two solid Democratic members of the Senate. That allows them to pack the Supreme Court, allows them to break the filibuster, allows the Green New Deal, allows a whole bunch of incredibly progressive even radical legislation, and that’s what they’re trying to achieve by this.”
Utah Senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney also called the move for DC statehood it an attempt at a power grab and a way to pack the Senate.
They said DC could be put back into Maryland have congressional representation that way.
Joining the cable channel One American News, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said he strongly disagrees with the idea.
“Unequivocally, this about adding additional Democratic senators to the U.S. Senate, if people try to dress it up as anything other than that, I strongly disagree with them.”
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) told reporters on Tuesday if DC wants more representation in federal politics there’s always an option to add them back to a state.
“My own view is that we should maintain the system we have and not try and pack the Senate like the Democrats are trying to pack the Supreme Court. But if there were a desire to provide greater representation for the people of D.C., combining D.C. with Maryland, from which the land was originally taken, would make more sense.”
