House Democrats were infuriated and taken aback by President Biden\u2019s announcement on Thursday that he will sign a resolution to nix the District of Columbia\u2019s crime bill.
\nThe crime bill has come under heavy criticism from Republicans and centrist Democrats. But last month, 173 House Democrats voted along with what they thought was the White House\u2019s stance that Biden\u2002would veto the resolution in an attempt to stand up for the District\u2019s \u201chome rule.\u201d
\nInstead, Biden made the revelation to Senate Democrats during lunch on Thursday and, in the process, angered their colleagues across the Capitol complex.
\n\u201cThe White House f***** this up royally,\u201d one House Democrat told The Hill via text message, noting the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing the resolution and backing D.C., and that House Democratic leadership told lawmakers that Biden was prepared to veto the measure.
\nThe declaration from the Office of Management and Budget called on Congress to \u201crespect the District of Columbia\u2019s autonomy to govern its own local affairs.\u201d
\n\u201cSo a lot of us who are allies voted no in order to support what the White House wanted. And now we are being hung out to dry,\u201d the lawmaker continued. \u201cF****** AMATEUR HOUR. HEADS SHOULD ROLL OVER AT THE WHITE HOUSE OVER THIS.\u201d
\nThe House Democrat added multiple other lawmakers were \u201cEXTREMELY pissed\u201d about the situation.
\nRep. Pete Aguilar\u2002(Calif.), the No. 3 House Democrat, issued a rare rebuke of the White House during a Punchbowl News event at the caucus\u2019s retreat in Baltimore, saying that Biden\u2019s move was \u201cdisappointing.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing for me and anybody who believes in home rule, honestly. I\u2019m a former mayor of a city of 70,000 and I wouldn\u2019t want the federal government coming in and telling me what city ordinances to pass. \u2026 So I think it\u2019s disappointing in that context,\u201d Aguilar said.
\n\u201cI voted against it, but I understand and respect the president\u2019s position here,\u201d Aguilar, the former mayor of Redlands, Calif., continued. \u201cWe\u2019ll see, the Senate has to pass that, and I know that they\u2019ve said they have the votes but all of those things have to happen. But it\u2019s disappointing for those of us who believe in home rule.\u201d
\nAn aide to a House Democrat who opposed the measure texted that the caucus is \u201ca little shocked\u201d by the move.
\nThe crime bill passed the D.C. City Council unanimously in January. After Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) vetoed it, the city council overrode it 12-1. Among other things, the bill would eliminate most mandatory sentences and lower penalties for a number of violent offenses, including carjackings and robberies. It would also expand the requirement for jury trials in most misdemeanor cases.
\nIn a tweet, Biden specifically mentioned the issue of carjackings. As of Thursday, there have been 94 carjackings in D.C. in 2023 alone.
\n\u201cOne thing that the president believes in is making sure that the streets in America and communities across the country are safe, that includes in D.C. That does not change,\u201d White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre\u2002told reporters on Thursday.
\n\u201cWhen it comes to what this proposal brings forth, which is really lowering penalties for car-jacking, he doesn\u2019t believe that\u2019s going to keep our communities safe,\u201d she added.
\nNevertheless, the move still left Democrats with a sour taste in their mouths.
\n\u201cToday has been a sad day for D.C. home rule and D.C. residents\u2019 right to self-governance,\u201d Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton\u2002(D-D.C.) said in a statement. \u201cWe had hoped that with more Senate support, we would have been able to ensure that neither disapproval resolution pending before the Senate would reach the president\u2019s desk, but with the nationwide increase in crime, most senators do not want to be seen as supporting criminal justice reform.\u201d
\nHolmes Norton added that she will still try to convince Biden that absent a veto, the resolution \u201cwould empower the paternalistic, anti-democratic Republican opposition to the principle of local control over local affairs.\u201d
\nSens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), both of whom are up for reelection in 2024, have said in recent days they plan to side with Republicans on the resolution, giving those backing it enough daylight to put it over the finish line even with the hospitalizations of Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
\nThe news is also expected to push more Democrats to side with Biden and the centrists.
\n\u201cI\u2019m reviewing the actual provisions of the D.C. crime bill, talking to colleagues. And the president obviously said he will not veto the measure, which I think may weigh with my colleagues,\u201d Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told reporters.
\nSen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who is also up for reelection in 2024, told reporters following Biden\u2019s news that he still is undecided on the resolution and has not been briefed on it yet.
\nFrom a political standpoint, Biden\u2019s decision to block the D.C. crime bill could come back to haunt the House Democrats who opposed the disapproval resolution. Some Republicans are already characterizing the revised code as soft-on-crime, which they could eventually extend to those 173 liberal lawmakers.
\n\u201cBy rejecting D.C.\u2018s law, President Biden acknowledged the basic fact that soft-on-crime policies endanger the public,\u201d Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote on\u2002Twitter.
\nDemocrats are already worrying that they played into the GOP\u2019s hands.
\n\u201cFrankly, it\u2019s a clear signal to those criticizing POTUS on being soft on crime amid the increased focus on the issue going into 2024 \u2014 and on the heels of Lightfoot\u2019s ouster,\u201d the aide said, referring to the Chicago mayor\u2019s re-election defeat this week.
\nAguilar, for his part, brushed off that notion on Thursday, pointing to legislation the caucus has passed and efforts it backed that support public safety.
\n\u201cDemocrats believe in strong public safety,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re demonstrating in our bills and demonstrated time and time again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thehill<\/p>\n
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