Democrat lawmakers pounded the table for District of Columbia statehood during Tuesday’s oversight hearing about the city’s crime wave.
The push for autonomy in the nation’s capital was Democrats’ preferred counterpunch to the GOP’s admonishment of D.C. leaders who have overseen a 13% increase in violent crime and a 27% rise in overall crime this year.
“The undemocratic meddling by some members of this committee on D.C. matters and their particular interests — to try to find a twist or newsworthy item or soundbite — does not advance the representation of the people here, who live here, who love the District of Columbia and who work day in and day out to make it better, because it is, in fact, the capital of the United States,” Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Maryland Democrat, said during the hearing.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee spent most of the hearing criticizing U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and his office’s decision to not pursue 67% of the charges brought to them by police.
But Democrats pointed to D.C.’s unique situation of having a federally run criminal justice system that is stunting the city’s ability to manage itself.
Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett said the federal government is responsible for appointing D.C.’s top prosecutor, selecting judges for the D.C. Superior Court and overseeing the city’s convicted felons.
“If our colleagues choose to ignore the statehood petition of nearly 700,000 Americans right in front of their nose, there is not much we can do about that kind of moral indifference and smug contempt for other Americans’ rights,” Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin said at the hearing. “But at least spare everyone the Trumpian spectacle of your blaming the victims for their disenfranchisement and lack of fully effective government.”
Other Democrats argued that granting D.C. statehood would alleviate its crime woes since local leaders were more well-equipped to handle the issue than the federal government.
Treating the nation’s capital as a state would clearly benefit to liberal lawmakers, since 80% of its registered voters are Democrats.
Republican lawmakers floated the idea of hiring more prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney’s Office at one point, which was supported by D.C. leaders.
The city has witnessed increases in most major crimes in 2023 — from homicides and carjackings to sexual assaults, robberies and assaults with deadly weapons.
Mother’s Day weekend came to a chaotic end in the city when a 10-year-old girl was critically injured by a stray bullet in Northeast. Hours later, another stray bullet struck a 12-year-old girl in the leg while she was asleep in her Southeast home.
Since reclaiming the House majority, the GOP has successfully used its constitutional authority to change D.C. laws on crime.
Republican lawmakers led the bipartisan effort to overturn a major rewrite of D.C.’s criminal code this spring. That came after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser vetoed the bill, but was overruled by the City Council.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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