Rachel KurziusVerified account

It's time for Tx Rep Chip Roy (R): "If we think D.C. should be a state bc it's got 700,000 people despite the fact that many of those people chose to live there ... the question is just simply whether this small area should be a state. The people here can move if they choose to."

Wisconsin Rep Glenn Grothman (R): "D.C. is not a state, it is a city ... It's a govt town with a little bit of tourism connected to the buildings." Grothman gets the biggest response so far from the crowd, which doesn't sound too happy with his remarks

NM Rep Deb Haaland (D): "If we're talking about land, this is Indian land," to scattered applause. "We talk about land and we talk about fairness and democracy and I felt it impt to recognize that there were people here long before it was anyone's state." She supports the bill

Raskin is back to address "a few floating fallacies" 1. idea that a capital city shouldn't vote (brings up state capitals) If Paris didn't have rep., "you'd have another French revolution," he says. 2. Notes that fed govt employees vote, leading to lil comedy routine w/ Connolly

There's a q about what would happen to the 23rd Amendment, which gave D.C. representation in the electoral college. Norton says it would be appealed, and she doesn't imagine that being controversial at all bc no one would want D.C. to have double the votes

MA Rep Ayanna Pressley (D) says that it's hypocritical for GOPers to say they care about the troops and veterans when tens of thousands of D.C. residents are vets without a vote

Alright folks, it's time for AMENDMENTS! 1st from GOPer Jody Hice of Ga. would turn the bill into a joint resolution calling for an amendment to the Constitution to make D.C. a state. (Translation: the bill would become an endorsement of statehood rather than the vehicle of it)

Supporters of the bill clearly don't like this amendment. They note that 37 states have been added to the U.S. with majority vote from Congress. "There is nothing in the Constitution that says anything about qualifications to be a state," says Norton.

The amendment fails. But there’s another one from Hice. This takes issue w the mayor becoming the governor and the D.C. Council becoming the legislature. “This is alarming,” says Hice. “There needs to be new elections.”

Norton says the common practice for the 37 other states admitted in the way D.C. seeks has been that elected officials of territories continue in state office. She urges other reps to decline this amendment

The no's have it. Now it's on to WV Rep Carol Miller (R). Her amendment is about abortion in Washington D.C. She's quoting Gov Ralph Northam (famously from...Virginia) and saying healthcare practitioners need to give same care to child born alive after attempted abortion

"Well, this is certainly unprecedented," says Norton. "The gentle lady wants to legislate for the new state before it is a new state." She says the statehood bill is precisely to stop GOPers from legislating on local D.C. issues like this one

Now CA Rep Katie Porter (D) says that "this amendment is nothing more than an attempt to use women's healthcare ... as a political football on D.C. statehood."

The amendment on abortion in D.C. fails.

There's a new amendment from Miller of WV. This one is about gun laws, which she calls "among the most restrictive in the United States." She calls for repeal of current gun laws in D.C. in "commonsense amendment"

Raskin accuses Repubs of "painting graffiti" of pet issues on the forthcoming state constitution of D.C. "I find this an affront to the whole process," he says

Jim Jordan: "Graffiti?!?! You want to call protecting an unborn child graffiti?!?! ... That is so wrong." Yep, folks, this going about as expected

Now Jordan is interrupting Connolly, and they're yelling at each other. Connolly is talking about Congress' record of impeding on the self-determination of D.C., "and that's what these amendments are all about"

Alright, now Massie is bringing the conversation to the Affordable Care Act, and is convinced he "saw a glimmer of federalism and states rights from the other side of the aisle there."

You may have forgotten that this amendment was about firearm laws in D.C. It has failed

New amendment from KY Rep Thomas Massie (R): the capital will include all federal gov property contiguous to Capital boundaries (this includes at least two buildings, including the Old Post Office Building aka the Trump International Hotel). Massie says it's a jab at Trump

Massie says the borders reflect "Trump's success in creating a revenue generating enterprise ... and the new state wants that revenue." Massie clarifies he still wouldn't support the bill even if his amendment passes sans constitutional amendment

.@EleanorNorton: The Massie amendment shows that Republicans care more about the Trump hotel than 700,000 D.C. residents.

Mayor Bowser issues her appreciation for Jamie Raskin, who has been going hard against Republicans in this hearing:https://twitter.com/MayorBowser/status/1227279350925578240 …

"We have a series of amendments that are clearly designed to damage the underlying bill ... as diliatory measures to prevent a vote," says Gerry Connolly. "I wish that these were designed to perfect the underlying bill."

Jordan objects to the idea GOPers are obstructing. He says they're trying to make the bill a little less objectionable.

Raskin says something I imagine will become a slogan: He says the federal city can keep the monuments, but D.C. wants the emoluments

Stacey Plaskett, delegate to the Virgin Islands (no stranger to being a federal territory) says that D.C. wanting to keep revenue generators in their boundaries makes sense.

Massie's amendment fails. But he's got another one in the wings: this amendment is about not allowing fees to vote or to carry a concealed firearm

Massie says he's looking forward to chatting with Raskin about this one, bc requiring fees for concealed firearms is a way to disenfranchise the poor. "I'm trying to reach across the aisle," says Massie.