US | Washington, DC Senate Derails DC's Bid for a House Seat GOP blocks bill to give capital city voting rights in Congress By John Johnson Posted Sep 19, 2007 8:38 AM CDT Copied The U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument, rear left, are illuminated as fireworks explode, Wednesday, July 4, 2007, in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) (Associated Press) Residents of the nation's capital will remain without a Congressional representative after a measure that would have given them a House seat stalled in the Senate. Supporters fell three votes short on the most promising effort in 30 years, the Washington Post reports, and the bill is unlikely to come up again this session. "We have not given up," said one backer. The measure that stalled had been a compromise between the two parties. DC, which is heavily Democratic, would have gotten one House seat and heavily Republican Utah another. Mitch McConnell says the GOP's rationale for killing the measure was simple: The Constitution says only states get congressional representatives, and DC isn't a state. Supporters, though, say it's a civil rights issue. Read These Next Defense officials react to Hegseth's Quantico meeting. Government shutdown is here. Here's what to expect. Colorado wants to give 'peace of mind' on Hunter S. Thompson. President asks nation's top generals to loosen up. Report an error