President Trump said the federal government should control the nation’s capital. Democrats and most local residents have long argued that Washington, D.C., should be a state.
President Trump said on Wednesday that the federal government should take over Washington, D.C., wading into the decades-old and divisive issue of how the nation’s capital is run.
“I think we should govern District of Columbia,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawlessly beautiful.”
Mr. Trump’s comments put him in the camp of Republicans who want to end the local government system in Washington, and in opposition to a majority of local residents and many Democrats who want the District of Columbia to become the 51st state.
Home rule, with a catch
The people of Washington have been able to elect their mayor and a council to run local affairs since 1973, when Congress approved home rule for the district.
But there are limits under the Home Rule Act. Congress reviews all legislation passed by the Council of the District of Columbia before it can become law, and has the power to amend or repeal laws. Congress also has authority over the city’s budget, and the president appoints the district’s judges.
Washington residents got the right to vote for president and vice president in 1961 through the 23rd Amendment. But the district’s 700,000 residents — more than the population of Vermont or Wyoming — effectively have no representation in Congress. They have a delegate in the House of Representatives who can participate in committees and legislative debates but cannot vote on bills with the full chamber.