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WASHINGTON - The White House said Thursday it will oppose legislation that would grant Utah another member of Congress and give the District of Columbia its first full-voting member.
After supporters of the measure cheered a successful vote in the House Judiciary Committee, a White House spokesman said the administration is against the measure, meaning that while it may pass the Democratic-controlled House it won't go far in the Senate, where Democrats have only a one-seat majority.
The administration opposes the bill "because it is unconstitutional," White House spokesman Alex Conant told The Salt Lake Tribune. "The Constitution specifies that only the people of the several states elect representatives to the House, and D.C. is not a state."
The White House until Thursday had declined to take a position on the bill, though it has been clear the president is not a fan of the measure. President Clinton installed the district's "taxation without representation" license plates on the official motorcade during his last month in office but they were removed when Bush took office.
Ilir Zherka, executive director of the advocacy group DC Vote, says supporters have been working on the White House to no avail so far. "What we've got from them is not positive," he said.
The news was not well received on the Hill.
"They'll officially base it on the same half-baked and disingenuous constitutional concerns some other opponents have raised," said a senior Republican congressional staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Why is it disingenuous? Because they wouldn't support a constitutional amendment, either. It's just cover for blatant partisanship. Shocker - another opportunity missed by the administration."
Despite the White House's position, the measure is moving swiftly in the House. It passed 21-13 out of the House Judiciary Committee Thursday, and a House leadership aide said the bill likely will be brought up next week.
Critics of the bill tried to knock it down during the hearing but failed.
Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, attempted to amend the bill to add that each of the 43 major U.S. military bases would get its own member of Congress in addition to their current representation.
If it does pass the House, which is almost assured with a Democratic majority, the bill still will find a unwelcoming Senate.
Even Utah's Orrin Hatch, who the bill's supporters count on as a Senate ally for the measure, says he has concerns with the current legislation. He cited the part of the bill that would make the new Utah seat one that is elected temporarily statewide, giving every Utah resident two members of Congress for about four years.
"I have constitutional concerns about an at-large seat; I really do and I haven't made up my mind what to do there," Hatch said. He also said his colleagues may raise all sorts of objections
"I haven't done a head count. I don't even know if it's going to be brought up."
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, failed in his attempt to amend the legislation on Thursday to allow the state Legislature to decide whether the seat will be elected at-large or in a normal sized district starting in 2009. His amendment would have left the seat at-large until after the next election but allowed the Legislature to redistrict if it wanted to, a move now restricted in the measure. Cannon says he hopes to get his amendment in later in the process.
Constitutional scholars have said the bill would be struck down by the courts because it violates the nation's founding document, and Congress' own research arm issued a report recently saying the bill is unconstitutional. Advocates of the bill, though, counter with their own scholars Ð including former special prosecutor Ken Starr and former Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh, an author of the U.S. Patriot Act Ð that the bill is sound.
The bill is mainly aimed at giving the nearly 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia their first full House vote. Republican-dominated Utah, which barely lost out on another seat after the 2000 Census, was added to the bill to balance out an expected Democratic member from the district.
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* Tribune reporter ROBERT GEHRKE contributed to this story.
The bill would
* Increase the number of U.S. House members from 435 to 437.
* Grant the District of Columbia full voting rights for the first time.
* Give Utah a fourth House seat, designed as a statewide district.
Bill prospects:
* Expected to pass the House.
* Likely to face Senate opposition.
* Certain to face White House opposition.
Legal controversy:
* Critics say the U.S. Constitution allows representation only for states and the District of Columbia is not a state.
* Supporters say Congress has the power to grant voting rights to the District.