Washington DC Mayor Bowser adds 51st star to American flags displayed on Pennsylvania Ave ahead of Flag Day

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday ordered 51-star American flags to be displayed alongside Pennsylvania Avenue forward of Flag Day, June 14.

The mayor mentioned she directed her workforce to hold the 51-star flags “as a reminder to Congress and the nation that the 700,000 tax-paying Americans residing in Washington, D.C. demand to be acknowledged. 

“On Flag Day, we rejoice American beliefs, American historical past, and American liberty. However the very basis of these beliefs, and the premise for our liberty, is illustration,” Mayor Bowser mentioned in a press release. “DC’s disenfranchisement is a stain on American democracy – a 220-year-old mistaken that calls for to be righted.” 

The celebs on the American flag symbolize the 50 states, the final of which, Hawaii, was admitted on August 21, 1959. The American flag’s 50-star design grew to become official on July 4, 1960. 

The notion of D.C. statehood stays a contentious subject amongst lawmakers. D.C. has a inhabitants of greater than 700,000 residents – higher than the states of Wyoming or Vermont – however the residents don’t have a voting member within the Home and don’t have any illustration within the Senate. Nor does the district have management over its personal native affairs. Nevertheless, D.C. pays extra in federal taxes than 21 states and extra capital than any state, based on the 2019 IRS information ebook. 

INTERSECTIONS NEAR SUPREME COURT BLOCKED BY PRO-CHOICE PROTESTERS AS ROE DECISION CLOSES IN

In April, Home Democratic lawmakers handed the “DC Admission Act,” which might make Washington, D.C. the 51st state and grant its residents full illustration in Congress. 

Republican lawmakers have argued that as a result of Washington, D.C.’s institution is predicated in Article 1, part 8, clause 17 of the Structure, any change to the district should come within the type of a constitutional modification – not laws from Congress. They’ve additionally argued that the thought of D.C. statehood quantities to little greater than an influence seize by Democrats to develop the bulk within the Senate by including two extra senators from a liberal enclave. 

In her Monday assertion, Bowser evoked the leaked Supreme Court docket opinion draft that advised Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion, was about to be overturned. 

LaValle Gaston, L, and Maurice Richardson are a part of a workforce with the Mayor Muriel Bowser Administration who’re hanging 51-star flags at Black Lives Matter Plaza and alongside Pennsylvania Avenue on March 19, 2021, in Washington, DC. 
(Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Put up by way of Getty Photographs)

“As Individuals nationwide brace for a resolution on the way forward for Roe v. Wade, we’re additionally reminded that DC’s disenfranchisement impacts not simply Individuals residing in D.C., however Individuals nationwide who share our values,” Bowser mentioned. “Whereas the stakes are even larger for Washingtonians, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the vast majority of Individuals who consider in a girl’s proper to decide on.” 

Bowser advised that almost all of D.C. residents are on the identical web page “with the vast majority of Individuals” calling for “frequent–sense gun reforms.” 

“We’re at an inflection level for American democracy, and it’s inside the Senate’s energy to do the best factor, embrace illustration, and transfer DC statehood ahead to the President’s desk,” Bowser mentioned. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The nation’s 106th Flag Day will likely be noticed on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. 

Individuals throughout the nation can pay tribute to the nationwide flag, which was adopted practically a yr after the U.S. declared its independence when the Second Continental Congress formally permitted the primary design for America’s nationwide flag – June 14, 1777.

Fox Information’ Cortney Moore contributed to this report.