[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 118 (Friday, June 26, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

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                          HON. JOHN R. CURTIS

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 26, 2020

  Mr. CURTIS. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted nay 
on H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. I missed this vote due 
to a scheduled surgery I needed to attend in Utah.
  Our nation was founded on the belief that Americans should have equal 
opportunity to participate in government--and I believe that an engaged 
citizenry is vital to a successful nation. Because our Founders also 
believed that no individual state should have undue influence on the 
federal government, they created a location for the federal government 
over which Congress has ultimate authority: Washington, D.C. Statehood 
for D.C. would undoubtedly give the new state priority over existing 
states, including Utah.

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