Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the only representative for D.C. in Congress, said in an interview published on Tuesday that she believes the “filibuster is on its last legs” while discussing the push for D.C. statehood.
Speaking with GEN Senior Editor Max Ufberg, Norton pointed out that a small majority of Americans — 54 percent, according to a recent poll from Data for Progress — supported D.C. statehood, and argued that keeping the filibuster has resulted in Senate inaction that prevents this from happening.
“In the Senate, look at what happened this year. The Senate was late in organizing because of all the opposition to the filibuster. The Senate doesn’t do anything anymore, and the reason for that is the filibuster,” Norton told Ufberg. “The filibuster is on its last legs. That puts D.C. closer to statehood than we have ever any chance of believing we would have. If you move to a talking filibuster, we’re on our way there.”
President Biden last week said for the first time that he was in favor of changing Senate filibuster rules to bring back the talking filibuster, appearing to move away from the White House’s previous stated position of not wanting to change the filibuster.
A talking filibuster is one in which a senator must be on the floor continually talking in order to block a bill.
Norton has long been an advocate for D.C. statehood and was the original sponsor of H.R. 51, which would make Washington, D.C., the country’s 51st state.
During her interview with Ufberg, Norton also confirmed that she would run for senator if D.C. was granted statehood “after being the one who got them statehood and struggling all these years.”
A Monday House hearing on the issue grew heated as GOP members accused their Democratic colleagues of making an unconstitutional power grab due to the District’s left tilt.
“Today’s hearing is all about creating two new Democratic Senate seats,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) said in his opening remarks. “D.C. statehood is actually plan B of the Democrat political power grab. Plan A was to eliminate the filibuster in the Senate.”
However, Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee shot back, arguing that the roughly 700,000 residents of D.C. have no vote in Congress. As a delegate, Norton is afforded the same rights as other members of the House of Representatives, but does not get to vote on the floor.
“Congress can no longer allow D.C. residents to be sidelined in the democratic process, watching as Congress votes on matters that affect the nation with no say of their own, or watching as Congress votes to overturn the laws of the duly-elected D.C. Council with no say of their own,” Norton argued. “Full democracy requires much more.”