The House Oversight Committee will advance a series of bills targeting crime in Washington, D.C., when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill next week, giving President Donald Trump a legislative boost with the federal takeover of the district.
A source familiar with the committee’s schedule told the Washington Examiner that the Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on Sept. 18 to examine crime in the district. Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb will appear at the hearing.
The committee will also mark up legislation to combat juvenile crime in Washington, address the district’s education system, and end “restrictive policing policies” enacted by the D.C. Council that “prevent law enforcement from keeping residents and visitors safe.”
The hearing and markup come a few weeks after Trump announced he would federalize the Metropolitan Police Department and activate the National Guard to patrol in areas experiencing an uptick in violent and juvenile crime.
Under the D.C. Home Rule Act, which allows the district to self-govern, Congress does have the power to exercise its authority over Washington policies, and it has done so more over the last few years than it has in decades.
In 2022, then-President Joe Biden signed a law overturning the D.C. Council’s overhaul of the criminal code that would have reduced penalties for homicides, robberies, and carjackings — the three areas that the district suffers from the most. It was the first time in 30 years that Congress repealed a local law passed by the council.
Republicans have blasted Bowser, Mendelson, and Schwalb for championing “soft-on-crime” policies that have “opened the floodgates” for the rise in crime, including among juveniles.
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), who has led the GOP fight to shore up crime and repeal perceived anti-police policies in the district, launched an investigation into the alleged manipulation of crime data in Washington, D.C. Comer requested documents, information, and transcribed interviews with District Commander Michael Pulliam and the District Commanders of all seven patrol districts.
The MPD put Pulliam on paid administrative leave earlier this year for allegedly deliberately falsifying crime data. These allegations have ballooned due to whistleblower disclosures and victim reports. Pulliam has denied the allegations.
Democrats have pointed to local crime statistics showing a 30-year decline in violent crime as evidence that Trump’s unprecedented decision is one step closer to authoritarianism. It’s also renewed calls for D.C. statehood, an unlikely outcome.
But the rise of crimes committed by juveniles over the summer in several Washington neighborhoods near and around the U.S. Capitol has reignited calls from Trump and Republicans to take more control of the district, and some lawmakers have called to repeal D.C. home rule.
While House Oversight prepares for these hearings, Trump is requesting $2 billion from Congress to renovate the district and fight crime.
Though lawmakers and the White House have remained tight-lipped on plans, the president said he’s spoken to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) about his request, and “Congress is happy to do it.”
“I think it’s going to be very easy to get. It’s gonna be not a lot of money,” Trump said Friday. “It’s gonna be money to beautify the city. They’re ready.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said in mid-August that he spoke to Trump, and the White House plans to send Congress a package, dubbed the DC Security Fund.
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“Everyone is asking ‘what’s happening immediately,’ because of, obviously, the president’s comments, but this is a longer-term project,” a senior White House official told the Washington Examiner.
Samantha-Jo Roth and Christian Datoc contributed to this report.