The House of Representatives has passed additional legislation aimed at addressing crime in Washington, D.C., following efforts to codify measures first introduced by former President Donald Trump. Speaker Mike Johnson issued a statement after the passage of these bills, emphasizing the ongoing commitment by House Republicans to reverse what they describe as “dangerous soft-on-crime policies” in the city.
“House Republicans continue to codify President Trump’s crackdown on D.C. crime and passed two more critical bills to reverse the city’s dangerous soft-on-crime policies. The CLEAN D.C. Act repeals the D.C. Council’s flawed 2022 policing overhaul which Congress already sought to block with bipartisan legislation before President Biden vetoed it. The D.C. CRIMES Act further ensures the city cannot weaken sentencing standards for criminals and requires that violent youth offenders be charged as adults for the most serious offenses,” Speaker Johnson said. “These reforms reflect Republicans’ continued commitment to restore law and order in the nation’s capital and provides a model for other Democrat-run cities plagued by rising crime.”
Chairman James Comer of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform also commented on recent legislative actions: “Too many Americans in the District of Columbia have been subjected to violence at the hands of dangerous criminals, especially repeat criminals who have been allowed to walk free. The Metropolitan Police Department should be able to do its job and protect Americans without fear of retribution, loss of retention among officers, and recruitment crises stemming from lack of support. The bills passed in the House build on President Trump’s promise to restore law and order to D.C., keep violent criminals off the streets, and defend residents and visitors alike from the chaos caused by the D.C. Council’s radical policies. I applaud Representatives Elise Stefanik and Andrew Clyde for leading the charge to keep D.C. safe and I urge the Senate to pass these bills quickly.”
Among legislation adopted during this session are:
– H.R. 5214 (District of Columbia Cash Bail Reform Act), sponsored by Representative Elise Stefanik, would ban cashless bail in Washington, D.C., while also preventing federal funds from supporting similar policies nationwide.
– H.R. 5107 (Common-Sense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now in (CLEAN) D.C. Act), sponsored by Representative Andrew Clyde, seeks repeal of a 2022 policing reform enacted by D.C.’s City Council.
– H.R. 4922 (D.C. CRIMES Act), sponsored by Rep. Byron Donalds, aims to prevent lenient sentencing reforms within D.C., ensuring that youth offenders face adult charges for serious crimes.
– H.R. 5140 (District of Columbia Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act), sponsored by Rep. Brandon Gill, lowers from 16 to 14 years old the age at which juveniles can be tried as adults for violent offenses.
– H.R. 5143 (District of Columbia Policing Protection Act), sponsored by Rep. Clay Higgins, restores police authority regarding pursuits while enhancing public safety through real-time alerts.
– H.R. 5125 (District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act), sponsored by Rep. Pete Sessions, returns judicial appointments back under presidential nomination with Senate confirmation.
Speaker Johnson is currently serving as U.S Representative for Louisiana’s fourth district since replacing John Fleming in 2017; he previously served in Louisiana’s state legislature between 2015–2017.
Johnson was born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1972 and lives in Benton; he graduated from Louisiana State University with both a BA (1995) and JD (1998).
