White House Struggles To Defend Biden’s D.C. Legislation Decision After Outrage From Democrats

The White House tried to defend President Joe Biden’s decision to support a bill blocking Washington D.C. From overhauling its criminal code, voting rights laws.

Thursday was a day that Biden declared he would sign the Republican bill, which would prevent D.C.’s passage of two bills that would reform the criminal code. It also allows non-citizens who are not citizens to vote in local elections. This move was rebuked by congressional Democrats. Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press secretary, was unable to respond to criticisms made at Friday’s briefing.

“[T]he President has been very clear we need to do more to reduce crime, to make communities safer, to save lives,” Jean-Pierre said. “[T]he way that we see this bill, it doesn’t actually reform policing practices … like the ones the president has put forward at the federal level [via Executive Order].” Jean-Pierre repeatedly mentioned Biden’s support to D.C. Statehood and his own crime/policing policies.

In a previous instance, the administration had opposed the House bill in a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP)It was claimed that the bill deprived the city from self-governance. Jean-Pierre maintained that despite all this opposition, Biden had never taken a position regarding whether or not he would agree to sign the bill. “[Biden] never made that clear in that SAP,” She said. “[W]e never said anything at this time. Now we’re communicating very clearly. Now that we know that this legislation is going to be at the president’s desk, we’re making very clear and communicating where the president is on this legislation.”

“There was no veto threat in the SAP,” She added more later. “There really wasn’t. We … opposed it, but there was no veto threat.”

Jean-Pierre spent a lot of the briefing explaining Biden’s decision, as Democrats spent Thursday blasting Biden for announcing that he would sign it.

“I’m disappointed,” Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) told POLITICO Thursday. “First of all, I hope the Senate would not pass it. But I think it’s pretty clear they will. And to me, the Congress should not substitute its judgment for the elected representatives of the people of the District of Columbia.”

“This ain’t it,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted. “DC has a right to govern itself, like any other state or municipality. If the President supports DC statehood, he should govern like it. Plenty of places pass laws the President may disagree with. He should respect the people’s gov of DC just as he does elsewhere.”

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One member of Congress was not shy about speaking his mind. “The White House f***** this up royally,” The member informed The Hill Text message, citing SAP “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. F****** AMATEUR HOUR. HEADS SHOULD ROLL OVER AT THE WHITE HOUSE OVER THIS.”

Biden indicated that he would sign Republican bills on Thursday. “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 tweeted From the official Presidential Twitter account. “If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did — I’ll sign it.”

The Senate will vote on the bills next week. It has already been supported by two Democrats and will most likely be sent to the President’s desk.

From White House Struggles To Defend Biden’s D.C. Legislation Decision After Outrage From Democrats

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