Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., has introduced a bill that would fold Arlington and Alexandria back into Washington, D.C., undoing an 1846 decision that returned those areas to Virginia.

In a statement, McCormick said the “Make DC Square Again Act” would reestablish the original ten-mile-square federal district and eliminate what he described as an unfair political edge for Virginia Democrats tied to an influx of federal workers.

“The Make DC Square Again Act restores the original ten-mile-square District and ends the artificial advantage Virginia Democrats have recently gained from all the federal bureaucrats moving into Virginia,” McCormick said.

The legislation comes shortly after Virginia voters approved a redistricting referendum that could give Democrats a chance to gain as many as four additional U.S. House seats before the midterm elections.

McCormick contends that Congress acted unconstitutionally when it transferred Arlington County and Alexandria back to Virginia in the 19th century, and he says his proposal would correct that mistake.

Virginia Democrats blasted the bill.

“Rich McCormick’s bill is an embarrassing legislative tantrum. It is also unconstitutional, and a stupid waste of time,” Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said in a statement posted on the social platform X. “Republicans upset about the passage of Virginia’s redistricting referendum should stop whining, as they have no one to blame but themselves.”