Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) took to the
Senate floor on Thursday to rail against a bill that would grant Washington, D.C. statehood, claiming its passage would be "an act of historical vandalism."While speaking against the bill, Cotton labeled it as an attempt by
Democrats to turn Washington's federal district into "little more than a gerrymandered government theme park" surrounded by a Democrat-controlled state.The bill, which is set for a House vote on Friday, would denote much of the current district as the nation's 51st state, giving its residents elected representation in both houses of
Congress. It would also preserve a capital district composed of federal buildings, which would be separate from the state.While making his case against statehood, Cotton claimed
Washington lacked the type of
Job diversity found in other, less-populous states, pointing to Wyoming as being "a well-rounded working-class state," despite having a much smaller population.The senator also questioned whether Washington's current leadership could be trusted in a gubernatorial role, singling out Mayor Muriel Bowser and former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, both of whom are Black, which raised more than a few eyebrows.