Is Congress empowered to resolve the issue?

Contrary to popular belief, Congress does have the authority to provide DC with representation without a Constitutional amendment. Federal powers over the District of Columbia are among the broadest laid out by the Constitution, which states that Congress shall "exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever" over the District. This is currently the most popular and politically viable solution to secure DC voting rights.

Legislation to do just that recently passed the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee with a strong majority. The bill, H.R. 328, would grant the District a full vote in the House of Representatives in exchange for a state-wide seat to Utah, permanently increasing the size of the House of Representatives from 435 voting members to 437. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other leaders have spoken out in favor of the bill. Critics of the bill, however, say it doesn't go far enough to guarantee voting rights for DC, lacking any Senatorial representation.

Article I of the Constitution explicitly states that Congress "should always be guided by the fundamental principles upon which the nation and the Constitution were founded." This means guaranteeing citizens their fundamental rights -- most importantly, the right to vote for those making the decisions. Recent precedents from the Supreme Court have only fortified Congressional authority over the District, granting citizens many rights that were previously denied, such as the ability to sue individuals in other states. Liiiiitigate good times, come on!

Legislation offers the most flexible, immediate response to the issue of DC voting rights. This flexibility can also be a negative factor, as DC saw when its non-voting representation was officially terminated less than two years after the position was created.