Some have floated the idea that if D.C. could become a city in Maryland, the District might be protected from what at least one city leader calls the “ravages” of the Trump administration.

And while it’s something to think about, it would probably never happen.

The conversation began recently with a suggestion by Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on the prospect of President Donald Trump taking over D.C. Raskin responded with, “If you guys want to come back to Maryland to get through this nightmare in the meantime, let me know.”

It was a tongue-in-cheek comment, but not the first time this has been suggested.

The “City of Washington” was created in 1790 when Virginia and Maryland ceded land to the federal government for the creation of a federal district. That was realized in 1800 when the nation’s capital was moved from Philadelphia to the new federal district. The Virginia portion of the land, west of the Potomac River, was given back in 1847.

Over the years, proposals have been made to make the 68 square-miles that make up D.C. into a city in Maryland, but they never went anywhere. The first retrocession bill was introduced in 1803, and more followed.

“That’s not something D.C. residents have wanted,” Shadow U.S. Sen. Paul Strauss (D-D.C.) said. “That’s not something that even Congressman Raskin and other Maryland leaders who support (D.C.) statehood are seriously proposing. But it’s nice to know that he’s putting out the welcome mat.”

On its official website, D.C. government said retroceding back to Maryland is not something D.C. voters want, as 86% voted in favor of D.C. statehood in a 2016 referendum.

“DC voters have already said loud and clear that we do not want retrocession, we want statehood,” the website reads.

“Right now, we are trying to get the Congress of the United States, particularly the House of Representatives, to back off on this disastrous proposal to slash the D.C. budget,” Strauss said.

Over the weekend, House Republicans unveiled a bill that would treat D.C. like a federal agency, requiring it to return to 2024 spending levels. That means if the bill were to pass, as written, the city would need to return to last year’s levels — effectively undergoing about $1 billion in cuts over the next six months.

D.C. being annexed into Maryland would also give the city full voting representation in Congress.

As for further consideration of Maryland absorbing the District, Strauss said, “It’s not a viable option. D.C. needs to be its own state. Congress needs to respect self-determination of the District of Columbia.”

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