Jul 22, 2014, 7:52am EDT Updated: Jul 22, 2014, 8:11am EDT
He's practically a resident. But until now, President Obama has remained quiet on the issue of D.C. statehood. That changed this week. The president spoke up on the issue during an event to promote his My Brother's Keeper initiative. "I'm in D.C., so I'm for it," WAMU.org quoted the president as saying. He's been for it for quite some time. "I've long believed that folks in D.C. pay taxes like everybody else. They contribute to the overall well-being of the country like everybody else. They should be represented like everybody else."
The Obamas have been living in the District since 2009, but are still legal residents of Illinois. Last year, to the delight of D.C. statehood supporters, Obama had D.C.'s "Taxation Without Representation" license plates put on the presidential limousine. "There has been a long movement to get D.C. statehood and I've been for it for quite some time," Obama said.
But despite his support for such a move, the president said it may be not be easy, "The politics of it end up being difficult to get it through Congress, but I think it's absolutely the right thing to do,".
The idea hasn't been on the radar for a while, with other pressing issues like the mayoral race taking center stage. But D.C. statehood proponents say it's something that would ensure the city's residents get the same rights as everyone else. Opponents argue the constitution created D.C. to serve as federal domain, governed by Congress.