Congressman McCormick Introduces the Make DC Square Again Act

Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) introduced the Make DC Square Again Act to undo the unconstitutional 1846 retrocession of Arlington County and the City of Alexandria from the District of Columbia to Virginia. This will restore DC's original boundaries established by the Residence Act of 1790.

Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 of the U.S. Constitution, commonly referred to as the Enclave Clause, grants Congress authority over a federal district "not exceeding ten miles square" made up of territory ceded by state governments to serve as the seat of government. The Constitution does not enumerate any power to retrocede such territories back to state governments.

This bill follows the narrow passage of a partisan redistricting referendum in Virginia. The newly proposed map would make Democrat candidates favored to win in 10 of Virginia's 11 congressional districts in a state that, absent the vote of DC bureaucrats, would have a substantial republican majority. The retroceded areas of Arlington and Alexandria alone contribute roughly 250,000 DC votes in Virginia statewide elections, votes that belong to Washington DC.

"The Constitution never authorized Congress to carve pieces out of the federal District and hand them back to a state," said Congressman McCormick. "Democrats have spent years manipulating maps and boundaries to rig elections. 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."

Key Facts from the Bill:

● The Enclave Clause grants Congress exclusive legislative authority over a District "not exceeding ten miles square." It contains no authority to retrocede territory back to the states.

● In 1846, Congress unconstitutionally ceded Alexandria County (now Arlington County and the City of Alexandria) to Virginia.

● Senator Benjamin Wade introduced legislation in 1866 to repeal the retrocession, and today's bill finally corrects this unconstitutional error.

The Make DC Square Act restores the District of Columbia as the Founders envisioned it.

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