After Dropping Longest Name, RI Could Lose Smallest State Title

PROVIDENCE, RI — After losing its title as the "smallest state with the longest name" after the November election, Rhode Island may drop its claim to the first half of that statement, as well.

On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that, should it be signed into law, would make Washington, D.C. the 51st state in the union. Should that come to pass, the District of Columbia would be the smallest state in the union, taking the crown from the Ocean State.

Rep. David Cicilline said he "was proud" to vote in favor of the legislation.

"More than 700,000 Americans call the District of Columbia home. Yet, they still do not have a voice in Congress," Cicilline said. "This isn’t just wrong, it’s un-American. America is the only democracy in the world that does not provide residents of its capital with voting representation in their national legislature. The Senate should bring this bill up for a vote as soon as possible."

Cicilline previously tweeted that although "Rhode Island may be the smallest state today, but I’d be happy to hand the title over to DC if it means 700,000 people finally get a voice in congress!"

In November, Rhode Islanders voted to remove "and Providence Plantations" from the state's official name, losing its distinction as having the longest name. The new titleholder: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with just one letter more than the full name of Pennsylvania.