D.C. Statehood Day Recognition Resolution of 2026

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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION

26-151

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

May 5, 2026

To officially declare May 1st, 2026, as D.C. Statehood Day in the District of Columbia.

WHEREAS, District of Columbia residents contribute more in total internal revenue than
30 states and more in business income taxes than 27 states;

WHEREAS, the over 700,000 residents of the District represent a diverse population with
42% identifying as White Non-Hispanic, 24% as Black, 18% as Hispanic, 11% as Asian, and 5%
as other;

WHEREAS, the dollar amount of federal taxes paid by the residents of the District of
Columbia in the past year currently stands at $2,065,143,245;

WHEREAS, over 1 million tourist travel to the District of Columbia annually to see the
cherry blossoms, and the District has 26 million visitors each year;

WHEREAS, the District has the number one rated park system in the United States with
more than 21% of the land used for parks and outdoor recreation, well above the national mean
of 15%;

WHEREAS, the United States Constitution as ratified in 1788 provided the right to vote
for representation in Congress to the “People of the several States” of the United States, which
included citizens living on the land that would later be designated by the federal government for
the nation’s capital as ceded by Maryland and Virginia to become the District of Columbia;

WHEREAS, despite the provision of the right of vote in the Constitution, through the
enactment of the “District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801”, D.C. residents were
disenfranchised from voting for representative Members of Congress more than 200 years ago;

WHEREAS, the District of Columbia has more residents than the States of Vermont and
Wyoming, and almost as many as North Dakota;

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WHEREAS, the residents of the District of Columbia continue to express their
determination to achieve full representation by electing 2 United States Senators and a United
States Representative to advocate for statehood and full democracy;

WHEREAS, citizens of the District of Columbia bear all of the responsibilities of
citizenship, including fighting in wars and serving in the military, paying federal income taxes,
and serving on federal juries;

WHEREAS, no other democratic nation denies basic rights of self-government, including
participation in the national legislature, to residents of its capital;

WHEREAS, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has released statements
expressing concern over this denial of representation to citizens in D.C.;

WHEREAS, the Organization of American States (OAS), to which the United States is a
signatory, has described the disenfranchisement of D.C. residents as a violation of its charter
agreement;

WHEREAS, the residents of the District have no voting representation in Congress and
therefore cannot hold representatives accountable for arbitrary budget interference;

WHEREAS, despite nearly 3 decades of balanced budgets, D.C. faces the possibility each
year of being shut down because of congressional interference;

WHEREAS, it has been more than 50 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and
more than 40 years since the District of Columbia was granted home rule, and the residents of
the District of Columbia have yet to have the same rights as the residents of the 50 states.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “D.C. Statehood Day Recognition Resolution of 2026.”

Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia hereby declares May 1st, 2026 to be D.C.
Statehood Day and encourages leaders and residents to discuss statehood for the District of
Columbia in high-profile settings in an effort to educate Americans regarding the lack of
congressional voting representation and budget autonomy for the residents of the District.

Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.