Statement from GW President Thomas LeBlanc on Washington, D.C. Admission Act

The George Washington University continues to support the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would admit much of present-day Washington, D.C., into the union as a new state.

The last year has shown that lack of fair representation in the federal government has disadvantaged the 700,000 District residents—which include many of our faculty, staff and students—in critical matters of funding to address racial and health inequities in our nation’s capital. In addition to hardships District residents experience, the issue of lack of federal representation also negatively impacts faculty members and research at D.C. universities, and as a result, research and innovation that has the potential to benefit society.

We are grateful to the District’s elected officials, especially Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Mayor Muriel Bowser, for their leadership and tireless advocacy for D.C. statehood.