A Republican legislator’s proposal to make Arlington and Alexandria part of D.C. has earned immediate condemnation from the region’s congressional representation.
U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) introduced the “Make DC Square Again Act” yesterday (Wednesday) in the wake of Virginia voters approving a redistricting referendum to benefit Democrats’ representation in Congress. McCormick’s legislation seeks to reunite Arlington, Alexandria and the District, which had been the case for 46 years in the 19th century.
Prompt outcry came from Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), D.C.’s non-voting congressional representative. Beyer called the bill “an embarrassing legislative tantrum” and “unconstitutional” in a statement to ARLnow.
“Virginia reacted to Donald Trump’s attempts to seize more power in the midterms by empowering voters to respond,” Beyer said. “Republicans are so upset at this expression of popular will that they are attempting to permanently deprive hundreds of thousands of my constituents of their right to vote in federal elections. Their contempt for voters is breathtaking.”
What is now Arlington County and part of the City of Alexandria made up a 10-mile square surveyed to become part of D.C. in 1791. That land, named Alexandria County, was incorporated into D.C. from 1801 until local residents requested its return to the Commonwealth of Virginia, which Congress approved in 1846.
With General Assembly endorsement, it formally returned to Virginia in 1847.
McCormick cited the Enclave Clause in the U.S. Constitution that gives Congress authority to create a federal district to serve as the U.S. government seat.
“Democrats have spent years manipulating maps and boundaries to rig elections,” McCormick said in a release. “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.”
The Enclave Clause is subject to the consent of a particular state to cede land. Even if Congress passed the legislation, Congress and Virginia would likely have to jointly agree to add Arlington and Alexandria to D.C, as the Virginia General Assembly agreed to in the 1847 land transfer.
Such an agreement would be extremely unlikely given Virginia’s Democrat-controlled General Assembly and Democratic governor, and the economic significance of Northern Virginia for the commonwealth.
“Disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of Virginia residents by making them D.C. residents without their input — or DC’s — violates the very principles I’ve fought for my entire career: home rule and consent of the governed,” Norton said on X.
Virginia voters passed the redistricting referendum to allow for redrawn congressional maps in the 2026 midterm elections. The amendment stipulates a return to the normal redistricting process after the 2030 U.S. Census.
A judge has blocked the election results from being certified, citing potential constitutional violations. Attorney General Jay Jones (D) said he will appeal the order.
According to unofficial election results, 51.46% of Virginia voters cast a ballot in support of the redistricting amendment. In Arlington County, 79.9% of voters favored redistricting.
If redistricting is not overturned by the Virginia Supreme Court, the new maps could give Democrats the chance to win a 10-1 advantage in Virginia’s congressional districts in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
About 60% of northern Arlington would shift into the new 7th Congressional District, while the remaining part of the county would remain in the redrawn 8th Congressional District. The City of Alexandria would remain in the 8th District.
