President Joe Biden told fellow Democrats that he won’t veto a Republican-led effort to reverse a crime bill passed in the District of Columbia that lowers criminal penalties for a range of violent crimes.
In February, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed resolutions that undo voting and crime bills adopted by the local D.C. government.
Biden and Democrats met on March 2 to discuss the crime bill and a range of other issues before Congress. In comments to reporters after the meeting, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) revealed Biden’s decision to not oppose the Republican resolution on the D.C. crime bill.
“He said that he would not veto the D.C crime bill that got the requisite number of votes,” Schumer said in a brief comment before listing unrelated items of discussion from the meeting.
In a subsequent tweet, Biden announced that he would even go so far as to sign into law the Republican-backed legislation if it passes in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
The DC Crime Bill
The crime legislation passed by the Council of the District of Columbia, known as the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2021, imposed reduced penalties for violent crimes. Specifically, the bill did away with most mandatory minimum sentences and specifically lowered penalties for a number of violent offenses, including carjacking and robbery.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had vetoed the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2021 in January, but the Council of the District of Columbia overrode her veto in a 12–1 vote.
The D.C. City Council moved forward with the legislation, even as the city has seen a significant increase in crime.
According to D.C. Metropolitan Police Department statistics, the overall crime rate is 25 percent higher now than it was last year. The property crime rate is 32 percent higher than last year, motor vehicle thefts are up by 111 percent, and arson is up by 300 percent. The overall violent crime was down by 9 percent, but homicides are up by 37 percent since 2022 and sex abuse cases are up by 146 percent.
Lawmakers in the House voted 250–173 on the resolution overturning the D.C. crime legislation.
DC’s Autonomy
The debate over the D.C. crime bill and the D.C. election bill carries broader implications for the federal district’s autonomy. D.C. doesn’t have statehood or seats in Congress, but the 23rd amendment did grant it three votes in the electoral college and the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act established the city council and gave the district some authority to set local laws.
Democrats have largely favored expanding D.C.’s autonomy, including giving the overwhelmingly Democrat-leaning city statehood. Republicans, by contrast, have insisted that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t allow for the district to become a state and that such a measure would require a full constitutional amendment.
The Republican-led measure to oppose the D.C. crime bill has divided Democrats. A total of 31 House Democrats joined Republicans in voting to overturn the crime bill, while the rest opposed the Republican-led effort.
While Bowser opposed the relaxed penalties on crimes in the city, she also supported a Biden veto of the Republican legislation, The Hill reported.
“I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule—but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections–such as lowering penalties for carjackings,” Biden wrote on Twitter on March 2.
I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule – but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections – such as lowering penalties for carjackings.
If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did – I’ll sign it.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 2, 2023
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a moderate in his party, told CNN that he would support the Republican-led effort to overrule the D.C. crime bill.
Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) indicated that they’re still undecided on how to vote on the Republican resolution.