WASHINGTON -- What, if anything, is Rick Santorum's position on statehood for the District of Columbia?
On Sunday, D.C. Councilmember Michael A. Brown (I-At Large) sent the GOP presidential candidate a letter asking him to clarify his views on the nation's capital becoming the 51st state.
Brown also invited Santorum to "join us in our fight for equality" by "making it clear that if elected President, you will use all the powers of the Executive office to promote Statehood for Americans who reside in the District of Columbia."
Here's the full text of the letter:
Dear Senator Santorum,
I am writing to you on the issue of Statehood for the District of Columbia. Recent conversations mention that Puerto Rico should adopt English as its official language before achieving Statehood. For many, this was an indication that if this requirement was fulfilled, you would support Puerto Rico’s admittance as the 51st state. I am writing to understand your current position on voting rights and Statehood for 620,000 American citizens who reside in the District of Columbia and whose primary language is English.
As you are aware, the United States Congress has complete control over the affairs of the District of Columbia. They have and will assert this authority while our locally elected Delegate to Congress is denied a vote on the House floor. Unlike Puerto Rico, which pays no federal tax, “Taxation without Representation” continues in the Capital of the free world.
I understand that you have previously voted against legislation to support the admittance of the District as the 51st State. However, I believe that you and your party support the right of Americans to run certain aspects of their lives without government intrusion or interference. The 2nd paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, the document that founded our nation, talks explicitly about the government only taking action through the “consent of the governed”. The 21st Article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government.” The residents of the District of Columbia don’t have the right to give this consent or exercise their will in government because they have been stripped of it.
I invite you to join us in our fight for equality. I encourage you to stand up for Americans who pay the highest federal tax rates in the country, whose sons and daughters have fought and died in every major conflict since the War of Independence, is home to over 40,000 veterans, whose population is greater than the State of Wyoming and nearly equal with five others by making it clear that if elected President, you will use all the powers of the Executive office to promote Statehood for Americans who reside in the District of Columbia.
I look froward to your response and invite you to visit www.statehooddc.com to learn of this national injustice.
Sincerely, Michael A. Brown (I-At-large) Council of the District of Columbia
When asked if there's been a response from the Santorum camp, Brown's communications director, David Meadows, said "nothing yet."
Santorum will not be on the D.C. presidential ballot for the April 3 primary election.
RELATED VIDEO: Rick Santorum stands by his comment that English should be an official language before Puerto Rico becomes a state.