Lowering Age At Which A Minor May Be Tried As Adult for Certain Criminal Offenses in District of Columbia
Floor Speech
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Mr. GILL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Washington, D.C., is the Capital of the United States. It should reflect the glory, the beauty, and the grandeur of the most powerful civilization that has ever existed on the face of the Earth.
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, that is not the case under Democrat rule. Under Democrat rule, especially in our Nation's Capital, we are forced to live under the cloud of anarcho-tyranny where criminals roam free and law-abiding families live in fear.
Mr. Speaker, under President Trump's leadership, Republicans are restoring law and order to cities that have been virtually abandoned by the left. That is why I introduced the District of Columbia Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act. It will make sure violent criminals are treated like violent criminals, no matter what their age.
Mr. Speaker, in 2021, Uber Eats driver Mohammad Anwar was murdered in D.C. during a carjacking by two teenage girls. One of the criminals was 15 years old. She was convicted of felony murder, and she was given a maximum sentence under D.C. law. She will be free when she turns 21 years old. That is 6 years for murder. That is 6 years for taking a father away from his family. This bill ensures that that travesty of justice never happens again.
Mr. Speaker, the reality of crime in D.C. is bleak. D.C.'s homicide rate in 2024 was 27.3 per 100,000. That is the fourth highest in our Nation. The first 6 months of 2025 alone, juveniles in D.C. were arrested 900 times. Many of those arrests were for repeat violent offenders. Around 200 juveniles arrested for violent crimes in 2024 had prior violent crime arrests.
Mr. Speaker, this isn't rehabilitation. This is a revolving door of crime that the left has created in this city. Meanwhile, the D.C. Council passed reforms to weaken policing and reduce penalties for carjacking and robbery. As a matter of policy, they are choosing criminals over innocent Americans.
Mr. Speaker, we hear from the other side of the aisle that locking up criminals by some weird and bizarre logic increases crime. The reality, which we all know because it is self-evident, is that when a criminal is in jail, by definition, they are not committing crimes on our streets and not terrorizing innocent Americans.
We are told that if we care about public safety, we shouldn't put criminals in prison. Mr. Speaker, this is insane. They know it. The American people know it.
If we want to live in a law-abiding society, we have to get these violent and ruthless offenders off of our streets. That is what Republicans are doing, and that is what Democrats on the other side of the aisle are fighting right now.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation lowers the age for transfer to adult court from 16 to 14 for the most heinous crimes. We are talking about murder, first-degree sexual assault, armed robbery, and burglary.
It expands the cases that can be tried by the U.S. Attorney's Office, ensuring that woke, weird prosecutors like D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb can't let violent offenders slip through the cracks. It sends a simple message. Democrats may tolerate crime, but Republicans do not.
Mr. Speaker, every American should be able to walk down our streets without fear of being murdered or raped or having their car broken into. Every parent should be able to put their child to bed without wondering if their home is going to be broken into.
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Mr. GILL of Texas. This bill restores order and common sense to the laws of our Nation's Capital. The American people and every visitor in D.C., as well, deserve nothing less.
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