Scholars, Democratic lawmakers make political and constitutional arguments for DC statehood

Proponents of statehood argued in a letter to Congress that more than 700,000 residents of the District of Columbia are left disenfranchised.

Democratic lawmakers took to the Senate floor Tuesday to argue in favor of statehood days after nearly 40 legal scholars sent a letter to congressional leadership outlining the constitutionality of the District of Columbia becoming the 51st state. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who has led the charge for the district's statehood in the Senate, said the issue should transcend the political divide as it is one of "basic fairness and equality." "The reality is that these citizens pay the most -- get this, get this -- the citizens of the District of Columbia pay the most in per capita federal income taxes in the U.S., more than any other state, but they have no say in how those dollars are spent. None," Carper said Tuesday. "The second-class status must come to an end." Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., argued that the district's statehood is also a civil rights issue given the demographics of the district.