Abstract
Pending legislation in the Senate to grant the District of Columbia a representative in Congress would undermine the District's unique constitutional status as a city under the responsibility of the U.S. Congress. The "District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009" (S. 160) would grant the District a voting representative in Congress. Such legislation would undermine the Founders' vision of the "federal town" as a unique enclave that would receive substantial benefits from its appointment as the seat of government. Because the seat of government would be located in the federal city, the Founders anticipated that the interests of residents in the District would be protected and advanced by the Congress as a whole--a scenario that has proven to be substantially true throughout American history.