Comer: Congress Must Take Action Against President Biden’s Veto, Block D.C.’s Anti-Police Bill
WASHINGTON – Today, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) delivered remarks on the House floor in support of House Joint Resolution 42, which would block the D.C. Council’s anti-police bill from taking effect. President Biden’s recent veto of the resolution comes as Washington, D.C. continues to experience a tidal wave of crime resulting from soft-on-crime policies promulgated by the radical D.C. Council. President Biden’s veto of H.J. Res 42 only allows rampant crime in the nation’s capital to continue unabated while simultaneously handcuffing the dedicated police from doing their jobs.
Below are Chairman Comer’s remarks as prepared for delivery.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I continue to support this bipartisan resolution, as a majority of my colleagues in the House did two months ago.
Not much has changed since we last passed this resolution of disapproval.
Since Congress sent this resolution to President Biden, we have continued to see rampant crime in the District.
D.C. residents and visitors are still unsafe in their capital city.
The Metropolitan Police Department continues to face retention and recruitment challenges.
Crime levels are still higher in 2023 compared to the same time in 2022.
Total crime is up 27 percent.
Violent crime is up 16 percent.
Homicide is up 19 percent.
Motor vehicle theft is up a staggering 118 percent.
This is unacceptable.
Most notably, as of June 7th, D.C. hit a concerning marker.
There have been 100 murders in D.C. this year.
According to the D.C. Police Union, this is the earliest point in a calendar year that the city has reached this marker since 2003.
However, in the Committee on Oversight’s March 29th hearing, D.C. City Council Chairman Phil Mendelson claimed that there is not a crime crisis in D.C.
In another Oversight Committee hearing on May 16th, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves refused to take accountability for his office’s failure to prosecute 67 percent of cases last year.
The D.C City Council and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia have failed the residents of D.C.
Congress has a duty to oversee the Nation’s capital and ensure its safety for all residents and visitors.
It is time for this body to stand up to the criminals.
I call on my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution.
The President’s veto of H.J.Res. 42 serves no purpose other than to continue allow crime to spread and hinder our local police from fulfilling their duties to protect the D.C. community and the nation’s capital city.
I urge my colleagues to uphold what we and the Senate have done over the last two months by voting in favor of this resolution.
I yield back the balance of my time.