Disapproving the Action of the District of Columbia Council in Approving the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin), the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. General Leave

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Mr. COMER.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to support this bipartisan resolution as a majority of my colleagues in the House did 2 months ago. Not much has changed since we last passed this resolution of disapproval.

Since Congress sent this resolution to President Biden, we have continued to see rampant crime in the District of Columbia. D.C. residents and visitors are still unsafe in their Capital City.

The Metropolitan Police Department continues to face retention and recruitment challenges.

Crime levels are still higher in 2023 compared to the same time in 2022. Total crime is up 27 percent. Violent crime is up 16 percent. Homicide is up 19 percent. Motor vehicle theft is up a staggering 118 percent. This is unacceptable.

Most notably, as of June 7, D.C. hit a concerning marker. There have been 100 murders in D.C. this year. According to the D.C. Police Union, this is the earliest point in the calendar year that the city has reached this marker since 2003.

However, in the Committee on Oversight and Accountability's March 29 hearing, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson claimed that there is no crime crisis in D.C.

In another Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing on May 16, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves refused to take accountability for his office's failure to prosecute 67 percent of cases last year.

The D.C. Council and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia have failed the residents of D.C.

Congress has a duty to oversee the Nation's Capital and ensure its safety for all residents and visitors. It is time for this body to stand up to the criminals. I call on my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution.

The President's veto of H.J. Res. 42 serves no purpose other than to continue to allow crime to spread and hinder our local police from fulfilling their duties to protect the D.C. community and the Nation's Capital City.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to uphold what we and the Senate have done over the last 2 months by voting in favor of this resolution.

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