Georgia Representative Introduces Bill to Reincorporate Arlington and Alexandria into DC

Rep. Rich McCormick, a Republican from Georgia, introduced legislation on April 22, 2026, to reincorporate Arlington County and the City of Alexandria into Washington, D.C. The areas are currently independent jurisdictions in Northern Virginia. The bill, titled the Make DC Square Again Act, would reverse an 1846 congressional action known as retrocession, which ceded the territories to Virginia in 1847.

At the time, the areas were known as Alexandria County.

The original federal district, established under the Residence Act of 1790, included territory ceded by Virginia along the west bank of the Potomac River, encompassing the port city of Alexandria and surrounding land now known as Arlington. This formed part of a 10-mile-square district, totaling 100 square miles.

Today, Washington, D.C., measures approximately 68 square miles and has the shape of an incomplete diamond. Reincorporating the areas would make the district resemble a slanted square.

stated that the 1846 retrocession was unconstitutional, as Congress lacks authority under the Constitution's enclave clause to cede territory back to states. The clause grants Congress exclusive legislative authority over a district not exceeding 10 miles square.

“The Constitution never authorized Congress to carve pieces out of the federal District and hand them back to a state," McCormick said in a statement. McCormick also linked the bill to recent redistricting in Virginia, where a referendum approved a new congressional map. The map faces court challenges and, if implemented, would give Democrats a 10-1 advantage in Virginia's House delegation.”

In 1866, then-Republican Ohio Sen.

Benjamin Wade attempted unsuccessfully to repeal the retrocession. McCormick described his bill as correcting that historical action. The legislation has no other listed cosponsors, and its potential for advancement in Congress remains unclear. Support from leaders in Washington, D.C., and Virginia is not specified.