Next, Hice argued that the District of Columbia should not be a state, in part because it does not have an auto dealership. Then he apologized after being told that DC has car dealerships – although he explained that he still didn’t know where to find one.
Hice, warning that DC receives some special funding from the federal government, said the country’s founders wanted to prevent the district from becoming “the first among states”. He continued: “DC would be the only state, the only state, without an airport, without a concessionaire, without capital, without a landfill. …”
Democratic Congressman Gerald Connolly of Virginia, denouncing the “absurdity” of the arguments against the state, later informed the committee that there are car dealerships in DC. When it was Hice’s turn to speak again, he said, “If there is a car dealership in DC, I apologize for being wrong – I have no idea where it is.”
They are plural concessionaires, not a single concessionaire. But in any case, Hice did not seem to be overwhelmed by his mistake. He reiterated the rest of his previous list, warning that DC would become a state without capital, airport or landfill.
Let’s ignore that car dealerships and airports didn’t exist when the Constitution was written.