In a major rebuke to measures passed by the District of Columbia city government under home rule, the House of Representatives will consider three bills this week that would repeal local laws passed by the D.C. Council.
One of the bills seeks to repeal a local law that gave illegal aliens and other noncitizen D.C. residents the right to vote in local elections in the District of Columbia. H.R. 884 would repeal the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, which enabled noncitizens to vote in D.C. elections.
The local law, which went into effect on Feb. 23, 2023, formally amended the definition of eligible electors to include noncitizens living in the District of Columbia. That means noncitizen D.C. residents became eligible to vote for the mayor, chairman or member of the D.C. Council, attorney general, members of the D.C. State Board of Education, members of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, and D.C. ballot measures. It also allowed noncitizens to run for elected office in the D.C. government including the top job, mayor.
Congressional Republicans have attempted to undo the D.C. Council’s laws in the past, and were joined by as many as 42 of their Democrat colleagues in the effort. However, their effort did not pass muster in the Senate. (D.C. laws are subject to an initial review by both chambers of Congress). A legal challenge was also not able to undo the D.C. law. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an appointee of President Barack Obama, dismissed a lawsuit in 2024 that had attempted to challenge the law, saying the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue.
“Free and fair elections are a prerequisite for a healthy republic. The radical D.C. Council’s decision to allow noncitizens—including illegal aliens and foreign agents—to vote in local elections dilutes the voting power of the citizen voter,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, the sponsor of the legislation in the House, told The Daily Signal.
“That power must be defended and anyone against H.R. 884 is for the transfer of political power away from legal voters. Congress has the authority to overrule this in Washington, and 25% of
the Democratic caucus agreed and voted for this bill—a strong bipartisan vote,” the Texas congressman continued.
“My legislation restores the sanctity of the voting process and ensures that only American citizens are voting in our nation’s capital, and I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation,” Pfluger said.
Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., explained how enabling noncitizens to vote dilutes the voice of the American citizen.
“I cosponsored H.R. 884 because only American citizens should decide American elections—period. The D.C. Council’s reckless decision to allow noncitizens, including illegal aliens and even foreign agents, to vote in local elections is a direct assault on the integrity of our democratic process,” Timmons told The Daily Signal.
“This bill restores common sense, protects the sanctity of the vote, and sends a clear message: citizenship matters. Anyone against H.R. 884 is for watering down the voice of the American voter. My constituents overwhelmingly support this bill, and so do I,” the South Carolina lawmaker said.
Two other pieces of legislation pertaining to the District are set to be debated and voted on in the House this week as well.
H.R. 2056 is a bill that would undo local law by barring the D.C. government from prohibiting or restricting its officials from “sending, receiving, maintaining, or exchanging with any Federal, State, or local government entity information regarding the citizenship or immigration status (lawful or unlawful) of any individual.” The bill also would prevent the District from banning compliance with a request from the Department of Homeland Security for “a detainer for, or notify about the release of, an individual.” The legislation has a policy carve-out for illegal aliens who are victims of, or witnesses to, crimes.
H.R. 2096 is a bill being considered that deals with policing in the District. The Protecting Our Nation’s Capital Emergency Act would restore the ability of D.C. police officers to negotiate matters related to discipline through collective bargaining. It would also restore the statute of limitations for claims against the D.C. police or civilian employees of the Metropolitan Police Department. Both of these actions would amend a D.C. law, the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022.