When the D.C. government’s 2023 criminal overhaul came before Congress last year, Democrats and Republicans both voted to block it. President Joe Biden said he would move to prevent the changes as well. And the overhaul, which would have eased penalties for a number of crimes, never took effect.
Now, a year later, D.C. is set this week to enact another massive public safety overhaul, this time cracking down on crimes like carjackings, retail theft and illegal gun possession. In short, the new plan addresses the bipartisan concerns members of Congress and Biden have expressed before.
But that isn’t stopping House Republicans from trying to butt in on D.C.’s criminal code again.