House Democrats vote to make DC the 51st state

House lawmakers Friday passed a measure that would make the District of Columbia the nation’s 51st state, bypassing GOP objections and the reality that the Republican-led Senate will not take up the bill.

Democrats tied the measure, which passed 232-180, to the current civil unrest and demands for an end to racial injustice. They argued that D.C. residents were unfairly taxed without fair representation in Congress.

The city, which has a population of more than 700,000, has one non-voting delegate in the House and a shadow senator. City residents pay more in taxes than 22 states, Democrats said.