DC Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safe Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, we are considering today the first of four bills which represent a serious violation of the rights of Washington, D.C., and the democratic process.
Mr. Speaker, we know that D.C. has more residents than two States; D.C. taxpayers pay more Federal taxes per capita than any State; and D.C., as a whole, contributes more Federal taxes than 12 States. There are over 700,000 active residents here who deserve a voice.
D.C.'s government is accountable to the people who live here, and local leaders should and are empowered to solve local problems without Congress interfering.
Mr. Speaker, I have said this many times: If Donald Trump wants to run D.C., he should resign as President and run for Mayor. If my colleagues here want to legislate for D.C., there are plenty of opportunities to run for the D.C. Council.
Mr. Speaker, I was a mayor of my city for 8 years before I came to Congress, and I love local government. A lot can get done and accomplished. Yet, let's not sit here in Congress and pretend to be a super city council, imposing our pet policies on residents who reject this agenda.
Now, the bill before us right now is the so-called DC CRIMES Act. This bill will impose longer sentences on young people who commit crimes.
How does it do this?
It eliminates the ability for judges to make the best sentencing decisions for young adults. It will lead to worse outcomes, more reoffenders, and less safety.
Now, let's be clear: This bill is not about making anyone safer or D.C. safer. It is about stripping decisionmaking away from the people and the judges of D.C., and instead handing the power of judges over to politicians in this room who don't live here, who don't vote here, and certainly don't answer to D.C. residents.
This bill amends D.C.'s Youth Rehabilitation Act, or the YRA as it is known.
Now, the YRA is not radical. It has been in place since 1985, and it actually mirrors laws in States like Florida and Michigan. Its purpose is simple: to give judges discretion in sentencing young adults.
Now, judges can punish some young people, when appropriate, in ways that reduce their risk of reoffending, but this bill would rip away discretion.
It eliminates a judge's ability to waive mandatory minimums, even when the facts show a one-size-fits-all sentence makes no sense.
Judges, not politicians, should decide sentences. Now, individuals whose convictions are set aside under the YRA are less likely to reoffend. That means the law works, and it keeps communities safer.
Now, we also know that in nearly 80 percent of cases, judges impose a mandatory minimum sentence anyway. These waivers are rarely granted and only when a judge determines it is appropriate. This bill is an undemocratic attack on D.C., its residents, and is also just bad policy.
Now, Republicans in the majority claim D.C.'s policies are too soft, but we know that the sponsor of this bill is also from Florida, which has allowed judges to waive mandatory minimums for decades.
Florida even caps youth offender sentences at 6 years, something D.C., by the way, has never done. Let's be clear: We can all agree that violent crime has no place in our communities. People are rightly concerned about crime in D.C. and back home in their communities. Democrats, of course, want safe streets, but we believe in investing in solutions that actually make people safer, not political stunts or short-term gimmicks or cheap tough talk.
We know what works: supporting local police departments, investing in community-based partnerships, and creating economic opportunity to drive down shootings, homicides, and burglaries.
Now, getting guns out of the hands of violent criminals keeps us all safer. Instead of doing that work, Republicans are wasting time attacking the District while ignoring the crises in their own backyards.
Now, President Trump is doing nothing to address violent crime in States with some of the highest crime rates in the country. In fact, his administration has made things worse.
Trump has opposed efforts to expand criminal background checks. He has blocked attempts to reduce ghost guns and machine gun conversion devices. His Department of Justice has gutted the number of inspectors who stop businesses from selling guns to criminals, cutting that workforce down by two-thirds.
On top of that, Trump illegally froze or canceled $3.8 billion in DOJ grant programs, including COPS grants for our police departments that, of course, help communities hire and train police officers.
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Mr. GARCIA of California. Norton.)
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Mr. GARCIA of California. Crockett).
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Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I oppose passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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