President Biden reportedly “infuriated” Democrats after announcing he would not veto a Republican-led resolution in the Senate that would undo portions of a D.C. crime bill.
After privately announcing his intentions to senators during a luncheon, he took to Twitter to publicly confirm his stance.
“I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule — but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections — such as lowering penalties for carjackings,” Biden wrote on Twitter. “If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did – I’ll sign it.”
I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule – but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections – such as lowering penalties for carjackings.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 2, 2023
If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did – I’ll sign it.
Biden’s announcement set off a number of Democrats, The Hill reports
The crime bill has come under heavy criticism from Republicans and centrist Democrats. But last month, 173 House Democrats voted along with what they thought was the White House’s stance that Biden would veto the resolution in an attempt to stand up for the District’s “home rule.” […]
“The White House f***** this up royally,” one House Democrat told The Hill via text message, noting the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing the resolution and backing D.C., and that House Democratic leadership told lawmakers that Biden was prepared to veto the measure.
The declaration from the Office of Management and Budget called on Congress to “respect the District of Columbia’s autonomy to govern its own local affairs.”
“So a lot of us who are allies voted no in order to support what the White House wanted. And now we are being hung out to dry,” the lawmaker continued. “F****** AMATEUR HOUR. HEADS SHOULD ROLL OVER AT THE WHITE HOUSE OVER THIS.”
The House Democrat added multiple other lawmakers were “EXTREMELY pissed” about the situation. (The Hill)
The vote, expected next week, has divided Senate Democrats, though now that Biden has said he will not veto it, many of them are publicly indicating they’ll vote for the measure. Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico have all signaled their support, according to CNN.
D.C.'s city council, which unanimously passed the crime bill in January, overrode Mayor Muriel Bowser's veto in a 12-1 vote. The overhaul of the city's criminal code would eliminate most mandatory sentences and reduce penalties for violent offenses, such as carjackings and robberies.
"This bill does not make us safer," Bowser said.
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