Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) offered rare praise for Joe Biden, calling the president’s decision not to veto a Republican-led bill to override Washington's century-old criminal code “absolutely necessary” for public safety.
Donalds responded to Biden’s announcement that he would sign the legislation, noting the president’s support was crucial to ensure the safety of not only district residents but also staff members who work on Capitol Hill. Donalds commended Democratic lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill but slammed those upset over Biden's decision.
BIDEN WON’T VETO GOP-LED RESOLUTION OVERRIDING DC CRIME LAW, DEALING BLOW TO DEMOCRATS
“[Democrats] can be upset when you’ve got private security walking around with you all the time,” Donalds told Fox News on Friday. “But if you’re one of these kids who comes up here and works, trying to do their best regardless of their politics, they have a right to be safe, too.”
Donalds’s comments refer to the significant increase in campaign funding going toward personal security details for members of Congress over the last two years. The Federal Election Commission ruled in early 2021 that lawmakers could use campaign funds to pay for bona fide security, opening the door for lawmakers to pour tens of thousands of dollars into such services.
Democrats top the list of those who spent the most money on personal security, with Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) coming in at No. 1 after spending nearly $606,000 on security expenses in 2021, according to campaign finance data compiled by OpenSecrets. Democrats occupy four of the top five spots on the spending list, with the exception of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who came in second with $364,000.
Biden announced on Thursday that he would not veto the measure making its way through the Senate that would strike down a newly passed law overhauling the criminal code in Washington, D.C., that seeks to reduce the penalties for some crimes. Biden told Democrats he would not block the measure if it passed the Senate, which it is poised to do after earning the support of at least one Democrat.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said earlier this week he would vote to overturn the criminal code, all but guaranteeing its passage in the Senate, where Democrats have temporarily lost their outright majority with the absences of Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Both are currently out of office due to health concerns.
However, other Democrats decried Biden’s decision not to veto the measure, arguing the legislation is an attack on Washington’s self-government.
“This ain’t it. DC has a right to govern itself, like any other state or municipality. If the President supports DC statehood, he should govern like it,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “Plenty of places pass laws the President may disagree with. He should respect the people’s gov of DC just as he does elsewhere.”
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Donalds suggested lawmakers in other cities should follow the lead of Congress and tackle public safety concerns more aggresively.
“You can’t have this stuff happen in any city in America, let alone the nation’s capital,” he said. “Other city councils across the country, they need to pay attention to follow suit because this kind of stuff needs to be taken seriously.”