Biden Sides With GOP, Plans to Override DC Crime Bill
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Joe Biden plans to sign a bill overriding a progressive new Washington, D.C. crime law.
The Details: The law lowers max sentences for carjacking, armed robbery, and other felonies, and eliminates mandatory minimum sentences for many crimes. The D.C. City Council approved the new code late last year, overriding a veto from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D).
For Context: The move aligns Biden with Republicans and against Democrats and local leaders amid a national partisan feud over the penal system. Progressives have pushed to reduce sentencing and penalties, especially for nonviolent crimes, and often point to overcrowded prisons and racial biases in the justice system. Conservatives have pushed to maintain or strengthen penalties, and point to crime in places like D.C., where the number of crimes like carjacking and homicide have risen steadily in recent years.
Key Quotes: Biden believes in "making sure that the streets in America and communities across the country are safe," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “It’s disappointing for me and anybody who believes in home rule, honestly," said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA). Biden's move "acknowledged the basic fact that soft-on-crime policies endanger the public," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) said.
How the Media Covered It: Sources across the spectrum highlighted the divide between Biden and progressives, and noted how D.C.'s City Council is strongly progressive, how Biden's move angered some Democrats, and how D.C. crime has worsened recently.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
House Democrat says ‘heads should roll’ at White House over Biden’s support to nix DC crime bill
Democrats laid into President Biden on Thursday after he announced that he would back federal legislation overriding a Washington, DC, crime bill that has been called soft on criminals.
“The White House f–king this up royally,” an anonymous House Democrat told the Hill.
“F–KING AMATEUR HOUR. HEADS SHOULD ROLL OVER AT THE WHITE HOUSE OVER THIS,” the lawmaker added, noting that the White House had previously expressed its opposition to the resolution nixing the bill, and claimed that it would back the DC City Council.
DC officials also expressed their outrage at the 80-year-old president’s...
From the Center
Why Biden decided to side with GOP and not veto a DC crime bill
President Biden on Thursday said he would not veto legislation Republicans have championed that would undo parts of a District of Columbia crime bill, reflecting how the White House is trying to navigate the politically charged issue of crime.
And that decision has put Biden in a bind.
If he were to veto it, he would have faced a barrage of GOP attacks that he was soft on crime. But instead, the decision to sign the resolution unleashed a barrage of vitriol from his own party, with some House Democrats accusing him of betrayal after they...
From the Left
Joe Biden says he will sign bill overriding D.C.'s new crime law that reduces sentences
President Joe Biden said Thursday he will sign a Republican-backed resolution that would override the District of Columbia's controversial new rewrite of its criminal sentencing laws despite his administration's initial opposition to congressional intervention.
His signature would allow Congress to overturn a D.C. bill for the first time in 30 years, marking a rare moment of Biden clashing with local leaders of the nation's capital he backs making the 51st state.
"I support D.C. statehood and home-rule," Biden said in a statement, "but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the mayor’s objections – such as lowering penalties for carjackings....
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