Common-Sense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now in DC Act of 2025
Floor Speech
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Mr. CLYDE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 5107, the Common-Sense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now in DC Act, or affectionately known as the CLEAN DC Act for short because that is what it is intended to do, and that is to clean up the city of Washington, D.C.
My legislation, co-led with Senator Ted Cruz, repeals the antipolice provisions of the D.C. City Council's so-called Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2022. If there is one thing that act doesn't do, it is create more justice. It creates injustice.
The CLEAN DC Act is essential to restoring public safety in our Nation's Capital. For far too long, Washington, D.C., a city meant to embody freedom and prosperity, has been overwhelmed by violent crime. As millions of people visit D.C. every year, it is imperative that our Nation's Capital is safe for all residents and visitors. Yet, in recent years, this simply has not been the case.
In 2024, D.C.'s homicide rate exceeded 27 homicides per 100,000 residents, higher than that of any State and nearly three times that of Islamabad, Pakistan, and 18 times that of communist-run Havana, Cuba. That same year, the city recorded nearly 30,000 crimes, including thousands of violent offenses, robberies, and car thefts.
So far in 2025, D.C. has already seen over 2,200 violent crimes and more than 120 homicides, including the tragic killing of a 21-year-old Capitol Hill intern. That was an incredible tragedy. Of course, any homicide is an incredible tragedy, but that one really was.
Despite these alarming trends, the radical D.C. Council has chosen to undermine the very department responsible for protecting the city. Its antipolice law strips the Metropolitan Police Department officers of due process protections. It weakens collective bargaining. It restricts the use of nonlethal tools during civil unrest and has fueled a devastating staffing collapse.
Since the law took effect under emergency authority in 2020, the Metropolitan Police Department has lost over 2,000 officers, leaving the department critically understaffed and unable to adequately respond to this crisis.
One of my neighbors here where I reside in D.C. had a terrible, violent incident that happened to her with her child. When the incident was over, she had lost her pocketbook. She had lost her phone. When they called the MPD to come take a police report, the response was: You will have to come down to the station because unless you are actually hurt yourself, we don't have the officers to go out and actually go to you. You have to come to us. That is just not right. That is an example of a completely understaffed police department.
Thankfully, in August, President Trump initiated a Federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard to confront this massive crime crisis. Since then, violent crime has dropped by 30 percent. Even D.C.'s Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser has acknowledged fewer homicides and a sharp decline in carjackings since President Trump's intervention.
Repealing the antipolice policies enacted by the procriminal D.C. Council will further strengthen President Trump's efforts and restore common sense to law enforcement in Washington, D.C.
Last Congress in the 118th, I led a joint resolution of disapproval alongside then-Senator JD Vance, now Vice President JD Vance, to repeal this same misguided D.C. Council law. The resolution passed both the House and the Senate with bipartisan majorities, yet President Joe Biden foolishly vetoed our commonsense measure, underscoring just how little the previous administration cared about the American people's safety and law enforcement officers' well-being.
Thankfully, we now have new leadership in the White House, strong, forceful, America-first leadership, and I look forward to sending this commonsense legislation to President Trump's desk to restore law and order in our Nation's Capital and support our brave men and women in blue. Public safety should not be a partisan issue. It is just plain common sense.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 5107 so we can codify the progress we have made under the Trump administration and transform D.C. from a crime-ridden capital into a safe, free, and thriving city.
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Mr. CLYDE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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