Republican proposes giving part of Virginia back to DC after redistricting loss

Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) on Wednesday introduced legislation to make the Virginia cities of Arlington and Alexandria part of Washington, D.C., reversing an 1846 law that returned the regions to the Old Dominion.

“The Make DC Square Again Act restores the original ten-mile-square District and ends the artificial advantage Virginia Democrats have recently gained from all the federal bureaucrats moving into Virginia,” McCormick said in a statement.

The proposal comes days after Virginia voters approved a redistricting referendum that could help Democrats score up to four more seats in the House ahead of the midterm elections.

McCormick argued that Congress unconstitutionally ceded Arlington County and the City of Alexandria to Virginia in the 1800s and said his bill “finally corrects” the error.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) publicly opposed the bill.

“Rich McCormick’s bill is an embarrassing legislative tantrum. It is also unconstitutional, and a stupid waste of time,” Beyer said in a statement shared on........

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