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House Republicans this year have actively pursued a robust oversight agenda concerning Washington, D.C., and they swiftly resumed these efforts following the reopening of the government. As part of that effort, on Wednesday, the House approved two bills aimed at reversing certain criminal justice laws, with support from several Democrats.
One bill mandates cash bail for specific offenses in D.C., facilitating the pretrial detention of defendants. The final vote count was 237-179, with 28 Democrats siding with Republicans.
The other bill seeks to repeal a contentious 2022 policing law, which prohibited chokeholds, created a police complaints board, and widened access to body camera footage. That measure passed with a 233-190 vote, garnering support from 20 Democrats, Roll Call reported.
Both bills now proceed to the Senate, where seven Democrats must join all Republicans to overcome a filibuster and send the legislation to President Donald Trump.
“Cashless bail allows dangerous, violent criminals on our streets. For far too long, dangerous criminals have been allowed to roam the streets of Washington, D.C., posing a threat to the general public,” said Oversight Chair James R. Comer, R-Ky., on the floor.
Under Comer’s leadership, the panel has consistently targeted Washington D.C. over the past few years, portraying it as a city plagued by mismanagement and crime. In September, the committee endorsed over a dozen Republican-sponsored bills aimed at transforming local legislation.
That same month, Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb were called to Capitol Hill for a heated hearing on the city’s condition following the deployment of National Guard members and federal agents during Trump’s administration.
Congress holds extensive constitutional authority over D.C. and, under the 1973 Home Rule Act, has the power to overturn local laws enacted by the D.C. Council.
In September, the House approved four bills focused on local policies, mainly divided along party lines. One bill aims to relax the criteria for D.C. police to initiate car chases. Another proposes dismantling the local commission responsible for nominating D.C. judges, transferring that authority to the president. The remaining bills seek to reduce the maximum age for youth offenders from 24 to 18 and to permit 14-year-olds to be tried as adults in specific cases.
None of these bills have been voted on in the Senate, The Hill noted.
Local leaders and most congressional Democrats contend that the legislation encroaches on home rule.
“This is about home rule. This is about democracy. This is about self-governance,” D.C. Councilmember Robert White, who is part of a group running to unseat longtime D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, said outside of the Capitol this week.
Earlier, Bowser, Mendelson and Schwalb issued a joint statement stating their opposition to the measures.
“These bills are an affront to Home Rule and the principles of democracy and local self-governance on which this country was founded,” they wrote.
In the wake of the COVID pandemic, there was a rise in violent crime which eventually subsided in 2023. However, a series of notable incidents involving lawmakers and their staff brought heightened attention to the District.
During that year, then-President Joe Biden signed legislation that overturned a controversial local revision of the D.C. criminal code. Later in 2023, Biden vetoed an earlier version of a bill aimed at repealing certain policing measures, which had passed in the House on Wednesday.
Despite a decline in crime rates in recent years, as reported by the Metropolitan Police—though these figures are currently being scrutinized by both Congress and the Trump administration—congressional Republicans have maintained their focus on the city.
The votes come as 88-year-old Norton faces increased scrutiny regarding her age and her ability to effectively counter the GOP’s efforts. A long-time advocate for D.C.’s right to self-governance, she is now facing questions about whether it might be time for her to step aside.
