D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said Tuesday that she has 149 original co-sponsors at the start of the 118th Congress for her bill granting the District statehood.
“Thank you to members who signed on as original co-sponsors,” she said. “The District of Columbia is on our way to becoming the 51st state.”
The bill passed the House for the first time in history in June 2020 and was endorsed by the chamber in 2021. Additionally, the Senate held a committee hearing in June 2021 on a companion bill from Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) on D.C. statehood.
However, the new House, which will start conducting business Tuesday, will have a thin Republican majority. Republican leaders in the House haven’t supported D.C. statehood in the past.