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The Senate this week is slated to vote on a Republican-led resolution to block Washington, D.C.’s revised criminal code from taking effect, which President Biden has said he will sign once it reaches his desk.
The resolution is expected to pass the Senate with bipartisan support before heading to Biden. The president’s announcement last week that he will sign the measure infuriated House Democrats, who have accused him of undermining D.C.’s self rule.
Also this week, a Senate committee is slated to hold the first congressional hearing on the East Palestine train derailment, which has sparked environmental and health concerns for the Ohio community. A second Norfolk Southern train derailed in the Buckeye State over the weekend.
On the House side, lawmakers will vote on a bill to declassify information relating to the origin of COVID-19, after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Energy Department has concluded, with “low confidence,” that COVID-19 most likely emerged from a laboratory in China.
In the House, panels will hold hearings on topics ranging from COVID origins, the “Twitter Files” and the U.S.’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. The House and Senate Intelligence Committees this week are also scheduled to hold their World Wide Threats hearings.Senate to vote on D.C. crime bill resolution
The Senate this week will vote on a GOP-led disapproval resolution to block D.C. from implementing its revised criminal code, a senior Senate aide confirmed to The Hill, putting the White House on a collision course with House Democrats, who have fumed at Biden’s pledge to sign the measure.
The disapproval resolution is expected to clear the chamber with bipartisan backing after a number of Democratic senators came out in support of the measure — including Sens. Patty Murray (Wash.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Bob Casey (Pa.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.) and Mark Kelly (Ariz.).
After that it will head to Biden, who has said he will sign the measure — an announcement that sent shockwaves throughout Congress last week.
The House voted 250-173 last month to pass the measure, which would block D.C.’s revised criminal code from taking effect.
The D.C. City Council unanimously passed the new regulations in January that would, among other provisions, eliminate most mandatory sentences and decrease penalties for a number of violent offenses, including carjackings and robberies. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) vetoed the bill, which the council overrode.
Days before the House vote, the Office of Management and Budget released a Statement of Administration Policy that said the administration “opposes” the measure and called on Congress to “respect the District of Columbia’s autonomy to govern its own local affairs.”
A total of 173 House Democrats went ahead and voted against the resolution, siding with what they thought was the stance of the White House. But last week, Biden said that he would sign the measure if it landed on his desk — opting against using his first presidential veto — an announcement that enraged House Democrats.
The president in a tweet announcing his stance pointed to the revised code’s decreased penalties for carjackings. Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) both said they were disappointed by Biden’s decision, and one House Democrat texted The Hill last week “The White House f***** this up royally.
