U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) announced he will vote “no” on a measure in favor of statehood for Washington, D.C. this week, and issued a statement expounding on why he thinks it is a bad idea.

“I will NEVER vote to give Washington, D.C. separate statehood status. Washington, D.C. is a CITY, not a state,” began Brooks.

Pushing for statehood has become an increasingly popular topic within the Democratic Party in recent years. Advocates say it would give a population larger than Vermont and Wyoming their own U.S. Senators, which D.C. residents currently lack.

Brooks believes the push for D.C. statehood is instead an attempt by Democrats to increase their power in the capitol, calling it a “sham & power grab” in a news release.

“Socialist Democrats don’t care one twit about D.C. residents voting on U.S. Senators, rather, their goal is two more guaranteed Socialist Democrat Senators,” commented Brooks on Wednesday.

The North Alabama representative detailed a solution he thought was fair.

“If D.C. residents want to vote on U.S. Senators, fine. That can be done by following historical precedence and giving the residential portion of D.C. back to Maryland, keeping the federal government portion (Capitol, White House, monuments, the Mall, federal buildings, and the like) in D.C.,” offered Brooks.

Presumptive 2020 Democratic nominee former Vice President Joe Biden came out in favor of statehood for D.C. in February, and it was a plank in the party’s platform during the 2016 election.

The bill on which Brooks voted no, H.R. 51, is scheduled for a vote before the full House of Representatives on Friday, where the Democrat-led chamber is expected to vote in favor.

“I will never vote to give a single, middling-size city the same political power as one of America’s 50 states,” concluded Brooks.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95