Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGUIRE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1131, I call up the bill (H.R. 5103) to establish a program to Beautify the District of Columbia and establish the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission, and ask for its immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I support the Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act of 2025, which codifies core components of President Trump's Executive Order No. 14252 titled: ``Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful.''

Our Nation's Capital is a direct reflection of our great country and should be a symbol of pride for the American people and a safe and beautiful location for all who reside and visit. Violent crime in Washington, D.C., has been far too high for far too long.

The Oversight and Government Reform Committee's investigation into D.C. crime has shown that lawlessness and violence on D.C.'s streets are not an inevitability. It is a policy choice.

Specifically, we show that D.C. leadership pressured and, at times, directed police commanders to manipulate crime data in order to maintain the appearance of low crime in the Nation's Capital.

You have to ask yourself: Why would the Democratic D.C. Council do that? They sought to deceive the American people because their misguided policies hurt American citizens.

Unfortunately, years of soft-on-crime policies have turned Washington, D.C., into a city with high crime rates, rampant homelessness, and graffiti on historic buildings and monuments. Symbols of our great Nation, such as the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the World War II Memorial, have all been vandalized and defaced over the years.

President Trump and congressional Republicans are tackling crime in Washington, D.C., head-on.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5103 establishes the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission, made up of key Federal law enforcement and other Federal partners, to focus on ensuring the safety of District residents and visitors through full enforcement of Federal and local laws in the District.

The commission will develop recommendations on how to prioritize the safety of the District's residents and visitors. This bill also requires the development and implementation of a D.C. beautification plan.

Key Federal and local leaders will be tasked--I will repeat that one. Key Federal and local leaders will be tasked with coordinating the cleanliness of the District's facilities, infrastructure, and parks. These leaders will also work to restore Federal public monuments, statues, markers, and similar properties that have been defaced.

Every day, my constituents from Virginia's Fifth Congressional District visit D.C. for work, travel, and my office coordinates tours for them. My constituents, as well as all who work or live in or travel to D.C., should feel safe while walking down the street.

Today, congressional Republicans will again show that we are the party of law and order by voting in support of H.R. 5103.

Mr. Speaker, there was a great debate in 1790 with Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison. Many here may remember the play ``Hamilton.'' At the end of the day, they came up with the idea of having Washington, D.C. At the time, they wanted the seat of Federal Government to be in Pennsylvania or in New York. What that would have done is that would have given us a superstate where all of the money and all of the priorities would have gone.

Maryland ceded a little bit of land, Virginia ceded a little bit of land, and we came up with Washington, D.C.

Under Article I, Section 8, Clause 17, we are Congress, and we, by the Constitution, have complete authority over Washington, D.C. It is not a State, because if it was, it would be a superstate, which would have all of the money and all of the power for the country, and it would take away voices from the other States.

Now, as I have been in Congress for 14 months, I have been around the District of Columbia talking with law enforcement and people that have lived here for years. In just 14 months and into the first year of President Trump's term, I have a lot of anecdotes.

I ran into a young woman, who went into a Subway, and a homeless woman said: Let me get the door for you. So the homeless woman opened the door. As she walked in, this woman punched her in the back of the head, nearly knocked her out. When she came to, that woman that knocked her out went to jail. She got a phone call just a few hours later from a detective saying: Hey, we put that woman back on the street, but don't worry, she is not going to harm anyone.

It seems like the policies coming out of the D.C. Council indicate to the American citizens visiting and living here that police are bad, criminals are good, and nobody cares about the victim. They have made a mockery of the criminal justice system.

Again, that authority is Congress, and this bill codifies that.

My bill codifies many elements of President Trump's successful executive order until 2029, ensuring there isn't a backslide into lawlessness in the city.

I had a young woman come up to me and say: I walk my dog at 8 p.m. I didn't understand what that meant. What she then said is: 2 years ago, I would not walk my dog in the dark. That is just in 14 months, and we need to codify that.

This bill is not partisan. It is common sense. Whether you are Democrat, Republican, Independent, we are all Americans, and I think we all want to live, work, and raise our family in peace. It should be nonpartisan. Wanting our Nation's Capital to be safe and beautiful, again, is not political. It is in the best interests of all who travel to and call D.C. their home.

When people come to Washington, D.C., they are not just visiting a city. They are visiting our Nation's Capital, the greatest country with the greatest people in the history of Earth. We may not be perfect, but we have lifted more people out of poverty, given more people freedom, and given more people opportunity than any country on Earth. Even in our worst days, everyone around the world wants to come to America because of our freedom.

What they see in The National Mall, the memorials, in our parks, and transit quarters shapes their pride and our shared heritage. If those spaces aren't clean, safe, and cared for, we all feel it--residents, commuters, small businesses, and millions of visitors who power D.C.'s local economy. When people visit D.C., they should feel safe while taking in the scenery and historic landmarks, not scared to walk two blocks because of the crime or confronted with a homeless encampment while walking on The National Mall.

One young staffer told me that she takes an Uber if she has to walk more than two blocks, but in the last 14 months she now walks 20 minutes to work. So, we are making progress, and we need to codify that.

Mr. Speaker, reckless D.C. Council policies have caused citizens from all over the United States and in D.C. to be robbed, raped, and murdered. They are reckless. They are not getting the job done, which is why we need to do this bill.

In the Oversight Committee we pointed that out. Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia Chief Pamela Smith actually resigned immediately following the release of the Oversight Committee's report. Why would they cover up these crimes? It is to trick the American people so they don't understand how bad their policies are.

In 2023, there were 274 homicides in D.C., a 20-year high.

In 2024, D.C. had the fourth highest homicide rate in the country.

While these crime statistics are troubling on their own, they significantly understate the level of crime in the D.C. area.

Last year, an investigation into D.C.'s crime statistics by the Oversight Committee revealed that D.C. leadership pressured and at times manipulated crime statistics to maintain the appearance of low crime in our Nation's Capital. This pressure demoralized the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department making the city less safe.

President Trump's crackdown on violent crime in D.C. last year resulted in a significant drop in crime and increased arrests.

My bill, H.R. 5103, facilitates the deployment of more robust Federal law enforcement presence in D.C. in coordination with local law enforcement, providing vital support to ensure that both Federal and local laws are being followed to keep D.C. safe.

Now, sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals. If you are a criminal, would you rather go to a city where local and Federal police authorities cooperate, communicate, and work as a team, or would you rather go to one where they don't work as a team? They have not been working as a team in D.C., and it is causing people to die.

That is unacceptable.

On the concealed carry permit aspect of the bill, D.C. has some of the most complicated and strict gun laws in the country.

Law-abiding residents who wish to protect themselves and their loved ones are forced to wait 4 months on average for a concealed carry permit appointment. This is unacceptable and, frankly, infringes on their Second Amendment rights, which are enshrined in our founding documents.

Criminals don't care about the law.

My bill establishes the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission which will collaborate with appropriate local government entities to speed up and reduce the cost of D.C.'s concealed carry permit process.

Criminals do not care about the law. You can create whatever law you want and try to get guns out of D.C. The criminals do not care. They are always going to get a gun, and you are making law-abiding citizens helpless victims.

The only people who are affected by D.C.'s complicated process are law-abiding residents. Streamlining concealed carry permits will decrease crime by allowing law-abiding citizens to better protect themselves and their families.

Mr. Speaker, crime statistics coming from the other side, obviously, I can't see them being reliable, especially as a member of the Oversight Committee. We talked about the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. Chief Pamela Smith resigned immediately following the release of the Oversight Committee report, where they had a clear coverup on crimes to make it look like D.C. crime is not accurate.

Since President Trump's Federal enforcement action, the D.C. crime, especially violent crimes, has truly drastically decreased. Carjackings have dropped 87 percent. This is proof that increased Federal and local cooperation is essential to reducing crime in D.C.

Again, if you are a criminal, Mr. Speaker, you would rather go to a city where they don't cooperate, communicate, and work as a team. We are ensuring that they cooperate, communicate, and work as a team, and they will be less attracted to D.C.

Mayor Bowser herself stated that she appreciated the surge of Federal law enforcement officers as it enhanced the Metropolitan Police Department's law enforcement efforts. In contrast, the D.C. Council has proven time and time again that they prioritize dangerous criminals over the law-abiding residents of D.C. and the thousands of tourists who visit our Nation's Capital every day.

My bill will ensure coordination between Federal and local law enforcement continues, providing local police the additional Federal resources and personnel they need to combat crime in the District.

Again, on the concealed carry permit, nowhere in the United States do you have to wait 4 months, Mr. Speaker. That is an infringement on our Second Amendment, for whatever excuse they have.

Thankfully, not only is President Trump making America great again, he is making Washington, D.C., great again.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

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Mr. McGUIRE. Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues, my friends on the other side, will consider the priority of the safety of American citizens in D.C. and the rest of the country, and keep the city that represents our great Nation safe and beautiful.

Under Article I, Section 8, Clause 17, Congress has a constitutional duty to ensure the District of Columbia is safe, secure, and beautiful.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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