On Wednesday, the Senate passed a disapproval resolution blocking the D.C. crime bill after the House did the same last month. In a stunning rebuke, 81 senators voted in the affirmative, with most Democrats joining all Republicans. Fourteen Democrats voted against and one voted present.
Earlier this week, D.C. Council chairman Phil Mendelson attempted to pull the bill, which lightens penalties for crimes such as carjackings and burglaries, from congressional consideration. However, the Senate proceeded with its planned vote.
The House resolution was also bipartisan, with 31 Democrats joining Republicans.
Senator Bill Hagerty (R., Tenn.), who sponsored the resolution, explained on the Senate floor Wednesday that the chamber would not be deterred by cheap maneuvers.
“Apparently, seeing the writing on the wall, the D.C. Council cooked up a desperate and legally baseless employ to unsubmit the bill to Congress. . . . The D.C. Home Rule Act is clear. There’s no valid action of this nature,” Hagerty explained.
“No matter how hard they try, the Council cannot avoid accountability for passing this disastrous, dangerous, soft-on-crime bill. Violent crime has become an epidemic in America. This resolution is a referendum on it,” he added.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) was among the many Democrats who voted to block the crime bill.
On Wednesday, Senator Mitt Romney (R., Utah) tweeted: “Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies, like those in D.C.’s radical new criminal code, further threaten the safety of our communities — which already suffer from unacceptable levels of violent crime. Policies should make Americans feel safe in their neighborhoods, not more at risk.”
The bill now moves to President Joe Biden’s desk, who has already signaled his support. “If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did — I’ll sign it,” Biden tweeted last week.