House Republicans are taking a victory lap over the all-but-certain passage of GOP legislation aimed at blocking Washington, D.C.’s controversial changes to its criminal code, reveling in particular at how President Joe Biden's reversal on the matter blindsided many House Democrats.
The resolution, led by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), will be taken up on the Senate floor Wednesday evening, with Biden stating he will sign the measure. The president had initially come out in opposition to the resolution, only changing his stance after most House Democrats voted against it last month. The bill is now expected to garner a sizable amount of support from Senate Democrats as the GOP prepares to use public safety as a wedge issue in the 2024 elections.
One GOP lawmaker told the Washington Examiner that during House Republicans’ closed-door conference meeting on Wednesday, members were “chuckling that Biden opposed the D.C. crime bill vote and Dems felt pressured to oppose … and now Biden flipped and supports.”
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And GOP leadership touted the bill as a win at a press conference later that morning, noting Democrats largely pushed back against the resolution when it passed the House last month.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) argued that had the Washington criminal code overhaul, which would have done away with a large portion of mandatory minimum sentences for violent crimes and reinstated the use of jury trials for misdemeanors, taken effect, it would have exasperated the city's public safety problem.
“I want to credit Andrew Clyde because, as a congressman from Georgia, he saw a problem here in D.C. that was not being addressed, and under the United States Constitution, we actually have a duty to govern parts of the District of Columbia — that hasn't happened in 30 years where the United States Congress has stepped in, but it got so out of control that we said, 'Let's take action,'” he said.
“They literally got rid of mandatory minimums for violent criminals, so somebody that carjacked you at gunpoint after being convicted can walk scot-free without a day in prison,” he added.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) pointed to Washington officials voicing skepticism about the policy changes in the wake of Biden and a sizable number of Democrats getting on board with the measure.
“Republicans' commonsense legislation overhauling the District of Columbia’s radical criminal code has forced even Joe Biden to admit the Democrat-run city has a crime issue,” the Minnesota Republican said.
“Now, Democrats are scrambling, Biden pledged he will not veto the bill, and vulnerable Senate Democrats are now supporting it, and even the D.C. City Council is trying to walk this thing back, but make no mistake — Democrats remain the pro-criminal, anti-law enforcement party,” he added.
House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) echoed her colleagues' sentiments, praising the support as a step in the right direction.
“This week, the Senate will pass House Republicans' resolution from Andrew Clyde to restore law and order in our nation's capital and repeal D.C. Democrats' City Council soft-on-crime and pro-carjacking bill. Those are the words of Joe Biden,” she said. “And we look forward to it becoming law after Joe Biden publicly whipped against it and then changed his stance and said he would sign it.”
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While progressives have expressed strong frustrations with Biden’s support of the measure, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and a sizable number of Senate Democrats said they would back the legislation.