The Democratic-led House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday that would make Washington, D.C. the nation’s 51st state, which would grant 700,000 residents full voting rights.  

H.R. 51 passed along party lines in a 216-208 vote, with Republicans being against the measure, likening it to a Democratic power grab.  

“We right a historic injustice by passing legislation to finally grant the District of Columbia statehood,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.  

In addition to granting D.C. residents full voting rights, they would have representation in Congress.  

The White House has come out in support of the measure, according to HuffPost.  

“For far too long, the more than 700,000 people of Washington, D.C. have been deprived of full representation in the U.S. Congress,” President Joe Biden’s administration said in a statement.  “This taxation without representation and denial of self-governance is an affront to the democratic values on which our Nation was founded.” 

The District of Columbia cleared its first hurdle in pursuit of statehood. HR 51 passed in the House. The statehood status would open up two additional seats in Congress changing the landscape of power on Capitol Hill. pic.twitter.com/doBZ8vDoUz

— BNC (@BNCNews) April 22, 2021

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces a bigger challenge for passage.  

Republicans have been opposed to D.C. statehood because of the political implications it has. In a Democratic-leaning area, D.C. residents would most likely elect Democratic senators, ultimately shifting the balance of power in the Senate, which is evenly split.  

However, not all Democratic Senators are in favor of making D.C. the country’s 51st state. Only 45 senators on the political left have expressed their support for the measure, HuffPost reported.  

Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.) and Angus King (I-Maine) have not expressed public support on D.C. Statehood.