House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that making Washington, D.C., a state would better protect lawmakers in the aftermath of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Mrs. Pelosi told reporters everything needs to be examined in order to improve security at the Capitol but giving D.C. the same standing as the 50 states could improve things right away.
“One important thing, would be really good, if the state, if Washington, D.C., if the District of Columbia could operate as a state, as any governor can do, is to call out the National Guard without getting the permission of the federal government,” Mrs. Pelosi said. “It shouldn’t have to happen that way. And if you see the letter, December, excuse me, January 4th letter, from the secretary of defense saying what he wasn’t going to do it’s most unfortunate, but I think everything has to be subjected to the harshest review to make sure this doesn’t come again.”
Liberals’ push for D.C. statehood has come as Democrats see adding U.S. Senate seats from new potential states, including D.C. and Puerto Rico, as providing them with a greater likelihood of controlling Congress.
Mrs. Pelosi‘s suggestion that D.C. join the Union as a state to better provide timely security adds to the list of reasons offered by those promoting D.C. statehood.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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