https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dc-statehood-bill-pases-house/ I give this a 0% chance of happening. There's no way a conservative SCOTUS would allow it to go through a simple majority vote of Congress. They are much, much better off with the compromise bill that gives most of DC back to Maryland. The state would gain a congressional representative, but DC+MD would lose 2 votes for the electoral college as DC currently gets 3 (it's treated like a state for the electoral college).
They are better off just waiting until they can end the filibuster,than add SC Justices so SCOTUS couldn't overturn it, than add DC and PR as states.It would be waste to give it back to Maryland when they can get 2 permanent Democrat Senators from DC.
From what I read they will shrink down the District to maintain D.C. but in a smaller size for the federal government and the rest will be turned into a state. D.C. is pretty small to begin with but you are going to chop it down even more and create a state from the remianing pieces? Why? THis will probably result in a state with a population of less than 500,000 in the size of a large suburb. Knowing D.C. you basically would take the NW, NE and SW and make up some state that has no value at all. I said years ago, the part of D.C. across the Anacostia River should be moved into Maryland because it serves no purpose for D.C. and gets no resources but MD could take care of it. Northern part of NW and NE could also be chopped into MD leaving the core part of D.C. that covers the federal government (like Vatican City). Many years ago the Pentagon was part of the district plan but was chopped off to give back to VA. THe only important issue for D.C. is representation which can be resolved but Dems are claiming not giving D.C. statehood is racist and want to pad the SC and GOP are also claiming stupidity against it to make up a fight for nothing. I swear both parties just want to fight over things that piss off the other side. Give D.C. government more control, give their Rep and actual vote but no Senator. Lets move on.
It would likely be bigger than Wyoming and have much higher tax revenue than Wyoming.The Senate is split 50-50 but Democrat Senators represent 40 million more people than Republican Senators.Dems need to make DC and PR states to even that out.
We could do this: PR&USVI: NY DC: MD AS&NMI&Guam: HI This would give Democrats more congressional representatives and no new senators. It would end territories. The flag would be safe. Everybody would have a vote. It wouldn't throw off the political balance of any state. All of those states would remain in the D column. NY would likely get 4 new members of Congress, MD 1, and HI 0.
Senators are more important than House Representatives. Democrats should do this: Wait to get the 50 votes to end the filibuster End the filibuster And 4-6 SC Justices Add DC,PR,Guam,American Samoa,NMI and The Virgin Islands as states.Dems would keep Senate for multiple lifetimes and never have to worry about a Mitch McConnell type Senate or Conservative Justices on The SC for multiple lifetimes.