WASHINGTON (AP) — The House of Representatives overhauls how young people who commit crimes in the District of Columbia are charged as Congressional Republicans were mobilized behind the president on Tuesday passed the law Tuesday. Donald Trump’s Efforts to crack down on crime in the country’s capital.
One bill, called the “DC Crime Act,” requires that the age of youth offenders in the federal district be reduced from 24 to 18, at least as long as the mandatory minimum for adults, and reject local DC policies. The DC Attorney General must also establish a public website that publishes statistics on youth offenses.
The bill passed 240-179, with 30 Democrats joining Republicans.
The second bill, the DC Juvenile Judgment Reform Act, passed with a narrower margin of 225-203, with eight Democrats supporting the measure and one Republican in charge. Thomas Massey Kentucky – Opposed to that.
Massey was the only Republican opposed to both bills.
The debate over DC law is being challenged in ways not previously seen; Home Rules Act 1973. Thousands of National Guard and federal law enforcement officials are patrolling city streets thanks to now-failed emergency orders from Trump. Republicans cheered on the intervention and criticised how the city was run.
Still, the latest slate in the DC Act has an uncertain future in the Senate, where democratic support is needed. Democrats have criticised Trump’s aggressive intervention in urban governance and issues, defending the ability of residents of the country’s capital to govern themselves.
manager Jasmine Roqueta Texas Democrat said Trump “constantly attacking what Republicans were calling small governments and decided that it was the biggest government you could find. That’s really embarrassing.”
Crockett added that he believes that the actions of Republicans in the White House and House are “a precursor and a precursor to everything he wants to do in other minority-led cities.”
Republicans retorted that the Constitution specifically excludes federal districts from the state and provides a range of reasons why Congress should exercise its power to override local governments.
Speaking on the floor during a discussion on the juvenile judge bill by House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, he stressed that the stricter guidelines were “severe crimes, including murder.” He added that the definition of a boy in DC is “seven years higher” than in other cities.
Criminal justice advocates questioned why the House is involved in district operations, particularly why it relates to the researched and researched criminal justice issues.
Darby Hickey, senior policy advisor at DC Justice Lab, said the overall view is that Congress’ actions “essentially against American values.” Congress “deprives us of our ability to make our own laws,” she said.
Misty Thomas Zaresky, executive director of the court’s Council of Excellence, pointed to another Republican proposal to remove the Judicial Nominations Committee and replace members with all presidential appointees. She said the committee has been working well in a bipartisan way for 50 years.
“Councils are not experts in what is needed to address these multifaceted issues that exist in the district,” she said.
DC’s Shadow Sen. Ankit Jain said he is currently a Senate Democrat. “We’re talking to Senate Democrats and working actively to insist on them why they should vote no on these bills,” he said. One message is that DC is just the start. “If this is successful, Republicans will know that this strategy will work and can chase many of the laws in the Blue City, unite the party and divide the Democrats.”
The House is expected to undertake two more DC criminal justice bills on Wednesday.
Washington residents can elect their mayors, councils and other officials, but their autonomy is limited. The Council maintains its power over the laws passed by the DC Council and is able to impose its own laws and restrictions. The council also manages the DC budget, despite the budget being generated by local tax revenue.
Earlier this year, the house cut $ 1.1 billion Out of the city’s budget.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader, sought funds for DC to recover.
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, DN.Y., told reporters before the Washington deadline that Republicans are putting American health care at risk with policies to fund government and strategies to fund government before the deadline set for Tuesday, September 16, 2025.
“It should never have been torn apart,” he said.
