Skip to main content
Back to Show
PBS News Hour

The constitutional and political obstacles to D.C. statehood

The roughly 700,000 residents of Washington, D.C., have no voting representation in Congress -- yet pay more taxes per capita than anyone else in the U.S. On Friday, the House of Representatives voted for the first time ever to turn the nation’s capital into its 51st state. But D.C. statehood is not likely to happen soon, for reasons both constitutional and political. Lisa Desjardins reports.

Support Provided By
Season
September 18, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
September 18, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
September 17, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
September 17, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
September 16, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
September 16, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
September 15, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
56:45
September 15, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
September 14, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:45
September 14, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
September 13, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:45
September 13, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
August 31, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:45
August 31, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
April 5, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:45
April 5, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
January 12, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:44
January 12, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
January 11, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:45
January 11, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
June 24, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode
57:46
Israel's Prime Minister says the intense phase of the war in Gaza will end soon as Israel and the U.S. argue over weapons deliveries.
June 3, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode
57:46
After Claudia Sheinbaum becomes the first woman to win Mexico's presidential election, a look at what that means for U.S. relations.
Active loading indicator