The House on Tuesday approved two bills to restrict Washington, D.C.’s authority over criminal sentencing, marking the latest Republican-led effort to assert congressional power over the nation’s capital and back President Donald Trump’s tough-on-crime agenda, The Hill reported.
The first measure, the D.C. Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safe Act, or DC CRIMES Act, passed 240-179. It bars the D.C. Council from altering sentencing laws and curtails judicial discretion for offenders under 25, lowering the threshold for leniency to age 18. The bill also ends provisions that allowed youth offenders to receive sentences below mandatory minimums and mandates that the attorney general publish online data on juvenile crime.
“The Trump administration’s efforts have shown that lawlessness is a choice,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., lead sponsor of the DC CRIMES Act, said during debate. “It is time for Congress to step up, adhere to our constitutional duty, and firmly address crime in the nation’s capital.”
The second bill, H.R. 5140, passed 225-203. It lowers the minimum age at which youth offenders can be tried as adults for certain crimes from 16 to 14. Supporters argued the measure is needed to address rising youth violence and to send a message of accountability.
Democrats opposed both bills, contending that they undermine local self-rule and fail to address the root causes of crime.
“People are rightly concerned about crime in D.C. and back home in their communities, and Democrats, of course, want safe streets. But we believe in investing in solutions that make people safer, not political stunts or short-term gimmicks or cheap tough talk,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
District Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., also criticized the legislation, framing it as an attack on the city’s autonomy. “The over 700,000 D.C. residents, the majority of whom are Black and brown, are capable and worthy of governing themselves,” Norton said.
The two votes come as Republicans push a broader slate of bills targeting crime in the capital.
Later this week, the House will consider the District of Columbia Policing Protection Act, which would grant D.C. police broader authority to pursue fleeing suspects by vehicle, and the District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act, which would give the president, not local officials, sole authority over selecting judges.
The moves follow Trump’s 30-day emergency takeover of the city’s police force earlier this year, part of his broader crackdown on crime in the District. Although that period has ended, federal involvement continues.
National Guard troops remain deployed in Washington under an order by Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, who authorized coordination between city police and federal forces. The Army extended Guard authorization through Nov. 30. Bowser has said her order provides a path to transition out of Trump’s emergency authority rather than prolong it.
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