VOA常速英语:A 51st US State? Advocates See Possibility for Washington DC

When rioters attacked the US capitol in a failed attempt to stop Congress
当时暴徒袭击了美国国会，试图阻止国会批准乔·拜登当选总统，
from certifying the presidential election of Joe Biden,
但未能成功
Washingtons mayor Muriel Bowser lacked the authority to call in the national guard to help police.
华盛顿市长穆里尔·鲍瑟缺乏召集国民警卫队帮助警察的权力。
The episode has given new momentum to the district of Columbias long-running effort to become a state.
这一事件给哥伦比亚特区成为一个州的长期努力带来了新的动力。
Im upset that 706,000 residents of the district of Columbia
我很难过哥伦比亚特区的706000居民
did not have a single vote in that congress yesterday,
昨天在国会没有一票，
despite the fact that our people were putting their lives on the line to protect our democracy.
尽管我们的人民冒着生命危险保护我们的民主。
The district lacks local autonomy,
该地区缺乏地方自治，
its budget and local laws unlike those of states are subject to approval by congress.
与各州不同的是，其预算和地方法律须经国会批准。
Its residents pay federal taxes but cannot send someone to congress to cast votes on their behalf.
它的居民缴纳联邦税，但不能派人到国会代表他们投票。
Eleanor Holmes-Norton has championed statehood for three decades
作为该地区在众议院的无投票权代表
as the districts non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives.
埃莉诺·霍姆斯·诺顿30年来一直倡导建州自治。
The United States is the only country that denies the residents of its capital city
美国是唯一的国家否认首都居民
the same rights that everybody else has.
和其他人有一样的权利。
Norton introduced legislation passed by the House last year
诺顿去年提出了众议院通过的立法
that would shrink the federal district to two square miles
这将使联邦区缩小到两平方英里。
including the capital White House and other major government buildings and Monuments.
包括首都白宫和其他主要的政府建筑和纪念碑。
The districts remaining 66 square miles would become the new state.
该地区剩余的66平方英里将成为新的州。
The legislation was reintroduced in January with even more backers.
今年1月，该法案得到了更多支持者的支持。
What is important is that we have the support of the new president of the United States Joe Biden
重要的是我们得到美国新总统乔·拜登的支持
as well as the support of the leaders of the senate and of the house thats a trifecta thats hard to beat.
以及参议院和众议院领导人的支持，这是一个难以击败的三连胜。
But republicans in Congress oppose statehood.
但是国会中的共和党人反对其成为一个州。
Because the districts voters overwhelmingly support democrats
因为选区的选民压倒性地支持民主党
that would mean two more democrats in the senate
这意味着参议院还有两名民主党人
that is now evenly divided between the two major Parties.
现在，这一比例在两个主要政党之间平均分配。
Republican Congressman Dusty Johnson says
共和党国会议员杜斯蒂·约翰逊说
Washingtonians do deserve representation just not in a separate new state.
华盛顿人确实应该有代表，而不是建立一个单独的州。
His proposed legislation would make most of the district
他提出的立法将使该地区大部分地区
part of the neighboring state of Maryland without adding seats in the House or Senate.
以及相邻州马里兰州的一部分不增加参众两院的席位。
And what DC residents really want is suffrage
而特区居民真正想要的是选举权
if what they want is a voice in the United States senate my plan gives them that.
如果他们想要的是在美国参议院的发言权，我的计划给了他们这个机会。
I would say in the last 200 years every single state that has been made a state
我想说在过去的200年里每一个已经成立的州
has had either 6 million residents or has been 10,000 square miles.
不是600万居民就是1万平方英里
Washington DC fails both of those tests.
华盛顿特区两者都没有。
But joining another state is just not acceptable to Washington Pharmacist Oye Owowela.
但是加入另一个州是华盛顿药剂师Oye Owowela所不能接受的。
We dont want to be residents of Maryland we want to be DC residents
我们不想成为马里兰州的居民，我们想成为特区的居民
we also want to have our own voice.
我们也想有自己的声音。
We want to be the 51st state not to be absorbed in another one.
我们希望成为第51个州，不被另一个州所吸收。
DC voters elected Owowela last fall as a backup delegate in the House of Representatives.
去年秋天，特区选民选举Owowela为众议院的后备代表。
He was born in the US to parents from Nigeria
他出生在美国，父母来自尼日利亚
where residents of the federal capital region do have legislative representatives with voting rights.
联邦首都地区的居民确实拥有投票权的立法代表。
Attorney Paul Strauss is one of the districts two elected shadow senators
保罗·施特劳斯律师是该地区两位当选的影子参议员之一
again without voting rights. His goal is.
同样，没有投票权。他的目标是
To educate both Americans and the world about the importance of DC statehood,
让美国人和全世界知道华盛顿特区的重要性，
and making sure that the United States lives up to the ideals that it preaches around the world.
并确保美国实现其在世界各地宣扬的理想。
A House panel will consider Nortons bill this month.
众议院的一个小组将在本月审议诺顿的法案。
While it may pass in the democratically controlled House,
虽然它可能会在民主党控制的众议院获得通过，
it is unlikely to pass in the Senate where democrats have only a slim margin of control.
它不太可能在参议院获得通过，因为民主党人只有微弱的控制权。
Carol Gunsberg VOA news Washington
Carol Gunsberg 华盛顿报道