Republicans pass 2 bills to strengthen law enforcement in DC — leaving Democrats horrified

Republicans in the U.S. Congress passed two bills meant to strengthen law enforcement policies in Washington, D.C., while most Democrats voted against the provisions.

One bill was called the D.C. Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safe Act, or DC CRIMES Act, and restricts the ability of local officials to change sentencing laws. Also included was a provision that changed the threshold for easing punishments against young criminals from 25 to 18 years old.

‘We believe in investing in solutions that make people safer, not political stunts or short-term gimmicks or cheap tough talk.’

The second bill allows for suspects as young as 14 years old to be charged as adults for certain crimes. That bill passed by a vote of 225 to 203, while the DC CRIMES Act passed by a vote of 240 to 179.

Democrats excoriated the effort and claimed that Republicans were usurping the power of local residents to govern themselves.

“People are rightly concerned about crime in D.C. and back home in their communities, and Democrats of course want safe streets. But we believe in investing in solutions that make people safer, not political stunts or short-term gimmicks or cheap tough talk,” said Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California.

“The over 700,000 D.C. residents, the majority of whom are black and brown, are capable and worthy of governing themselves,” said District Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat.

President Donald Trump has been criticizing the crime and lack of order in the district. He ordered military troops to patrol the district, leading to Democrats angrily denouncing what they saw an authoritarian takeover.

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Many residents in the district have said that the troop presence has helped tamp down crime and they support the efforts. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser admitted that carjackings had decreased after the troop deployment, though she was heavily criticized by other local Democratic figures for being honest about crime.

“We know that when carjackings go down, when use of guns goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer,” Bowser said. “So this surge has been important to us for that reason.”

Congress is scheduled to vote on other measures meant to help law enforcement combat crime in the district.

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