D.C. mayor predicts Democrat-led Congress will soon pass D.C. statehood to Biden's desk

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser predicted Friday that the Democratic-led Congress will soon vote in favor of statehood for the District of Columbia and send the bill to President Biden's desk for a signature. 

Biden expressed support for statehood during the presidential campaign but hasn't said recently whether he would sign it into law.

"I have supported statehood for 36 years," Biden said during a campaign stop.

Bowser, a Democrat, said many Americans are unaware that D.C. can become a state with a simple majority in Congress and a signature from the president. Democrats now have a majority in the House and Senate after Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were sworn-in this week. 

Bowser also said that she has made a push for Biden to formally make D.C. statehood part of his 100 day agenda.

"The nation's capital, the federal enclave, continues to exist as the nation's capital and everything outside of those new boundaries becomes the 51st state. Our congresswoman – we had our first successful vote on statehood in the House of Representatives last year. She reintroduced the bill. She has a record number of sponsors," Bowser said at the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting.

"It is going to be reintroduced in the Senate in a couple of weeks, and we expect to have a favorable vote in the Senate as well and then it goes to the president of the United States. We have made a big focus to President Biden to support D.C. statehood and make it part of his 100 day agenda," she added.

Statehood would give Washington D.C. representation in Congress.

"We literally have no one to speak for us in the Senate," Bowser said. "We have to have full representation."

Greg Fischer, mayor of Louisville and president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, referred to Bowser as "Governor Bowser" at the end of the discussion.

"The Conference of Mayors will be fully supportive of that," he said, referring to statehood. "We appreciate your good work. I like to call you Governor Bowser."