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March 26, 2020 | For Immediate Release
WASHINGTON, DC — DC Democratic Party Chair Charles Wilson issued the following statement in response to the Senate’s passage of the “Coronavirus Relief Fund" bill, which will give the District around $500 million, the same funding as each of the US territories, or about 60 percent less than a state, which will each receive a minimum of $1.25 billion dollars. District residents pay the most in federal taxes per capita than any other state: “What the Senate did to DC residents who are first-responders, nurses, doctors, educators, and workers, many of whom are heroically battling on the front lines of this national health emergency is disgraceful. Their ill-timed scheme to shortchange the District places us at a frightening disadvantage by tying one hand behind our back when we are fighting a global pandemic that has yet to call a truce. “The District is not a US territory. We send more tax dollars to the IRS than the residents of 22 states. And our population of more than 700,000 residents is greater than those who live in two states and is comparable to the population of several others. Unlike the territories, DC residents pay federal taxes. To treat us as second-class citizens is inexcusable. “This is why our fight to become the 51st state is more important than ever as this would have never happened if we had two senators at the table, the way our friends do who live in the 50 states. “We call on everyone who believes in equity, fairness, and democracy to reach out to members of Congress and tell them to treat DC residents like the American federal taxpayers we are and fix this injustice in the Coronavirus Relief Fund bill.”
### Chartered by the Democratic National Committee as the elected representatives of the Democratic voters in the District of Columbia, the DC Democratic State Committee (DC Democratic Party) provides input in the affairs of the Democratic Party at the block, precinct, state, and national level by ensuring, preserving, and protecting the principles of Democracy, freedom, equality, and service for the common good through political action for good government, fair elections, quality elected officials, strong and vibrant communities, the election of a Democratic nominee for President of the United States, and voting rights and statehood for DC. Find out more about what the DC Democratic Party is doing at www.dcdemocraticparty.org.