Senate Clears Bill to Block D.C. Crime Law, Sending It to Biden After Reversal
The strong Senate vote against the criminal code — and an earlier one in the House that attracted 31 Democrats — was a significant setback for the autonomy of the District of Columbia, which in recent years had seemed to be gaining ground in its efforts to achieve statehood and had been left unhindered by a Congress under Democratic control. It was the first time in 30 years that a local law had been thwarted by Congress.
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Local officials lamented the interference and even tried to pull back the criminal code before it was rejected by the Senate. But the process to block it had already been set in motion, and Congress ignored the attempt to short-circuit the outcome.
The rewrite of the criminal code, which was years in the making, had split local officials as well. The law was vetoed by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, who was overridden by the District council. Her opposition, however, opened the door to Democrats abandoning their usual support of the District and voting in favor of overturning the law.
The White House’s handling of the issue angered House Democrats, who felt they were hung out to dry by the president after he said early last month that he would oppose the resolution of disapproval. As a result, when the matter came before the House in early February, most Democrats backed the District council and voted against the effort to rescind the sentencing package, believing they were siding with the president, who would veto it.
Instead, Mr. Biden arrived on Capitol Hill last week and told Senate Democrats in a private luncheon that he would sign the measure if it reached his desk, undercutting House Democrats and District officials. He said the crime legislation had gone too far even though he supported autonomy for the District of Columbia. White House officials noted that the president had never explicitly pledged to veto the measure, only that the administration opposed it.
Some Senate Democrats stood by the District and argued that its democratically elected officials should be free to write their own laws without being subjugated to Congress. Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat who has been active on criminal justice issues, mounted a defense of the District’s law in a party luncheon on Tuesday, according to senators who attended.
In a speech on the floor on Wednesday, Mr. Booker called the intervention in District affairs “patronizing and paternalistic” and said it was meant to score political points. He noted that the new criminal code would significantly increase sentences for offenses such as attempted murder, sexual assault and gun crimes.
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