Washington, D.C.’s Council Chairman Phil Mendelson withdrew a controversial criminal code bill from the Senate on Monday to prevent it from being voted against.
Mendelson stated that the bill would be revised and submitted to the House and Senate at a later date.
The DC city council’s decision to rescind its controversial criminal code revision has been met with agreement on Capitol Hill.
However, no one seems to know how this will affect a potential vote mid-week in the Senate.
Who is Phil Mendelson? Washington DC Chairman Phil Mendelson Rescind Decision on Crime Code Bill
The criminal code was softened by the DC city council, but under the Constitution, Congress can act as a super city council for DC. Last month, the House approved a bill to intervene on the criminal code, which President Biden announced he would not veto.
Biden and some Democrats fear that the right will portray them as “soft on crime,” and so the bill was expected to face a Senate vote this week to align with the House.
The measure would likely pass with as many as 20 Senate Democrats siding with all Republicans to bigfoot DC.
This would be the fourth time in decades that Congress has intervened in DC affairs.
It is currently unclear whether the Senate will still have the vote this week, even if it is now moot.
Part of the issue is political, with the GOP possibly wanting to have the vote, but there is also uncertainty over whether the Senate can hold a vote based on the city council’s actions.
This is what everyone is currently trying to figure out.
Last Thursday, President Biden informed Senate Democrats in a closed-door meeting that he would not veto legislation blocking the D.C. Council’s move to soften crime laws.
Following the meeting, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed the President’s plans to sign the bill once it reaches his desk.
Biden also tweeted upon returning to the White House, stating that he supports D.C. statehood and home-rule but doesn’t support some of the changes made by the D.C. Council over the Mayor’s objections, such as lowering penalties for carjackings.
He concluded his tweet by saying that if the Senate votes to overturn what the D.C. Council has done, he will sign it.
The withdrawal of the controversial criminal code bill by Washington, D.C.’s Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has raised questions about the potential Senate vote.
It is currently unclear if the vote will still go ahead this week or if it will be affected by the city council’s decision to rescind the criminal code revision.
However, President Biden has stated that he supports D.C. statehood and home-rule but not the changes made by the D.C. Council over the Mayor’s objections.
Source: Mckpage.com
