District of Columbia Policing Protection Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. McIVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with deep concern for our Nation's Capital, also known as chocolate city.

The four Republican bills on the floor this week are a direct attack on the people of this city, particularly the Black and Brown communities who have called D.C. home for generations.

These are residents who have built thriving small businesses, who have received an education from the D.C. school system, residents who have raised families and who call themselves proud Washingtonians since birth.

This bill, H.R. 5143, would impose the President's twisted vision of justice on D.C., overriding the autonomy of this city and hurting the people who live here.

Enabling deadly vehicle pursuits of suspects in the city, as a former councilwoman and a council president of the largest city in New Jersey, I know firsthand that this is dangerous. That is on top of the other bills that we are debating this week that seek to strip D.C. of its autonomy, force more juveniles into the justice system, expand the President's gross overreach, and make things worse.

The bills proposed by my Republican colleagues will worsen the already rampant injustices we see in the criminal justice system, make law enforcement more dangerous, and steal the futures of many of our youth.

These bills all send the same statement to Washingtonians: The administration does not believe you have the same right to dignity as other parts of this Nation.

If Congress truly wants to make our Nation's Capital as safe as it can be, we would listen to the residents of D.C. and their elected leaders who have lived experiences of what this community needs. The dog whistles used to justify these bills are not true. The D.C. Government has long taken a proactive approach to reducing crime in the District and today is experiencing a three-decade low in crime.

D.C. has done this in part by having a police force that looks like the very people it is sworn to protect, lives in the community it serves, and caters to the unique needs of D.C. residents.

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Mrs. McIVER. H.R. 5143 discourages basic public safety, pushes lies about crime in the Black and Brown communities, and puts everyone in harm's way and at risk.

That is why it is no surprise of who the sponsor is of this very dangerous and wicked bill. This bill is dangerous, once again, and a complete disaster to this community.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

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