Senate Votes to Block DC Democrats’ Controversial Crime Bill

Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Senate Voting on Wednesday was to reverse recent Washington laws changes which lowered some crime penalties. Democrats are now supporting self-governance, but public safety concerns take precedence.

With the vote of 81 votes to 14 the U.S. Congress overturned a District of Columbia law. 700,000 District of Columbia residents don’t have representation on Capitol Hill. This is only the fourth instance of this happening.

The measure has already passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, and Democratic President Joe Biden said last week that he would not veto it.

Biden along with his colleagues Democrats believe that the District of Columbia should be an independent state, that can set its own laws without any interference from Congress. But they also have faced accusations that they take crime lightly.

According to opinion polls, the U.S. public strongly opposes the concept. “defunding the police” , and other criminal-justice reforms that became popular after several police murders of Black Americans in 2019.

Washington’s City Council reduced penalties for carjacking, burglary and other criminal offenses as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the Criminal Code. This prompted criticism from the Police Chief and Prosecutors, and even a Mayor Muriel Bowser veto, which was overruled by the council.

Concerns about the crime rate in this city have been raised by a recent spike in carjackings, and the assault on Angie Craig, Democratic Representative.

According to police statistics, homicides in Washington and gun crime have almost doubled from 2017, but overall crime is down.

Members of city council claim their law is the outcome of years of compromise.

However, this argument is not well received on Capitol Hill. Republicans from rural areas often disagree with the leadership of an overwhelmingly Democratic metropolis.

Washington’s City Council, feeling defeated, pulled its crime overhaul Monday. This was an ineffectual attempt to take control of the situation. Senate vote.

Although Congress does not often overturn D.C. laws it inserts spending bills that allow for local control. They have stopped needle exchanges, public funding for abortions, and prevented the District’s establishment of laws to regulate sales of marijuana. Residents were allowed to use it recreationally in 2015.

(Reporting by Andy SullivanEditing By Tomasz Janowski & Diane Craft

Published under: Crime