#GoodMorningDC. This morning, we are talking about the Great Dilemma called DC Statehood.
Yesterday, the Democratic-controlled House passed the DC Statehood Bill to make Washington, DC, the 51st state. The issue of proposed statehood status for Washington, D.C. has been controversial and problematic for our Federal government for the past 200 years.
As a DC resident, I am undecided on the issue and would love to hear what you think.
Here’s the dilemma. It would be great to have a state where residents could get representation. Still, the concentration of partisan power in our nation’s capital such a decision would create goes against the very idea founding fathers had when they insisted for our nation’s capital to be a district and not the state.
In the 1790s, this actually made an enormous amount of sense. Our Federal government was based on a model that had never been tried anywhere else in the world, and our country’s founders recognized that a small handful of politicians could easily become very greedy very quickly and they could potentially corrupt our new system.
Currently, DC is a blue district, and the Democrats are confident that it is them who will rule the state in the making. These predictions come from the fact that since the mid-1970s, all of the mayors of Washington, D.C. have been Democrats.
However, that can change in the future, as the 51st state would become politically more attractive and competitive. Many power-seeking individuals would move here, and given that politics is all about the power of persuasion, DC could become one of the most significant political battlegrounds in the United States.
If you are a high earner, Biden has a tax increase for you. Anyone earning $1 million and up will have to pay 39.6% tax on capital gains. To fund his infrastructure proposal, Biden wants to tax corporations and investors. During the election, Trump said that the Democrats were going to increase tax, but like everything Trump says was written off into falsehood.
Speaking of Trump, he sent out a memo last night criticizing LeBron James. The former president said that “LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA, which has just recorded the lowest television RATINGS, by far, in the long and distinguished history of the League.” Trump continued, “His RACIST rants are divisive, nasty, insulting, and demeaning. He may be a great basketball player, but he is doing nothing to bring our Country together!”
What will Biden do today?
As the Leaders Summit on Climate entered into the second day, Biden will give another speech at 9:15 am.
At 11:00 am, President Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the Oval Office.
At 11:45 am, the President will receive the Weekly Economic Briefing in the Oval Office.
At 2:45 pm, the President will participate in a virtual U.S. Department of Defense Senior Leaders Conference in the Situation Room.
What will Kamala Harris do today?
At 9:25 am, the Vice President will travel to Plymouth and Concord, New Hampshire.
At 11:55 am, the Vice President will hold a listening session on the American Jobs Plan’s investments in broadband at New Hampshire Electric Cooperative in Plymouth. There will be travel pool coverage of this listening session.
At 2:00 pm, the Vice President will take a tour of IBEW Local 490 with apprentices and staff in Concord.
At 2:40 pm, the Vice President will deliver remarks on the American Jobs Plan’s investments in workforce development and infrastructure.
At 4:45 pm, the Vice President will head back to Washington, DC.
At 11:00 am, the White House COVID-19 response team will hold a press briefing.
At 11:30 pm, Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland will brief the press.
At 2:00 pm, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter holds a telephonic press briefing at the State Department
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke by phone yesterday with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi of Indonesia. Sullivan conveyed his deep concern regarding the missing Indonesian submarine off the coast of Bali. He stressed that the United States would do everything possible to support Indonesia’s search and rescue effort.
In case you missed it
Check out Mooch FM where I talk to Anothy Scaramucci about my time reporting on the Trump administration, and the centrality of freedom of speech to democracy.
We are excited to switch a bit from daily political news to our dash of pop culture and inform you that The Oscars are coming this Sunday. It will be a night of red-carpet gowns and glitz, a “movie experience,” put together by Soderbergh.
And that’s a wrap for this Friday morning, April 23, 2021.Thanks for waking up with me. Good Morning DC will be back on Monday to bring you the latest first.