Comer on H.R. 51: America’s government will become “of the Democrats, by the Democrats, for the Democrats.”
WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) today spoke on the House floor in opposition to H.R. 51, the Democrats’ unconstitutional bill to grant D.C. statehood. In his opening statement, Ranking Member Comer criticized Democrats for forcing through an unconstitutional bill simply to consolidate power and outlined H.R. 51’s constitutional flaws, including the need for a constitutional amendment to grant the District statehood.
Below are Ranking Member Comer’s remarks as prepared for delivery.
America’s federal government should be “of the people, by the people, for the people.” But with H.R. 51 America’s government will become “of the Democrats, by the Democrats, for the Democrats.”
Let’s be clear what H.R. 51 is all about. It’s about Democrats adding two new progressive U.S. senators to push a radical agenda championed by the Squad to reshape America into the socialist utopia they always talk about.
If you doubt me, just listen to what our colleague, Congressman Jamie Raskin, recently told the Washington Post.
He said: “…there’s a national political logic for [D.C. statehood], too, because the Senate has become the principal obstacle to social progress across a whole range of issues.”
So, there we have it.
H.R. 51 is not really about voting representation. It’s about Democrats consolidating their power in Washington.
There are numerous problems with H.R. 51.
Mainly, it is flatly unconstitutional.
Every Justice Department from President Kennedy’s to President Obama’s has been consistent that a constitutional amendment is needed to grant the District statehood.
Robert F. Kennedy said granting D.C. statehood without a constitutional amendment was “inconceivable.” He also said granting D.C. statehood, as attempted by H.R. 51, would produce “an absurdity.”
This “absurdity” is the 23rd Amendment which acknowledges the existence of a federal District warranting three electoral college votes.
While H.R. 51 includes an expedited process for the 23rd Amendment’s repeal in Congress, the problem is this would not happen until after D.C. becomes a state.
This would create mass confusion as H.R. 51 is reviewed by the courts for years.
The Constitution is the foundational document upon which all the laws of our country rest, and Congress cannot simply dismiss it with sham legislation.
But that is what H.R. 51 attempts to do.
Democrats want to rewrite the Constitution without going through the proper process of doing so.
During our Committee’s markup of H.R. 51, I offered an amendment that would assure the 23rd Amendment’s repeal prior to statehood being granted, but Democrats opposed this amendment.
Why are Democrats pushing such a problematic bill through the House?
Why are they working so hard to advance D.C. statehood instead of pursuing a constitutional amendment that would engage the entire country through a process intended by our Founding Fathers?
Because they know Americans have firmly rejected D.C. statehood.
I urge my colleagues to vote with the vast majority of Americans and reject this unconstitutional and impractical bill.