U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R) and John Cornyn (R) are leading the renewed effort to overturn a controversial D.C. police reform law they argue has contributed to rising crime in the nation’s capital.
The bill, known as the Criminal Law Enforcement and Accountability Now in D.C. (CLEAN DC) Act, would repeal the D.C. Council’s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022.
Senator Cruz, who introduced the bill, sharply criticized the D.C. Council’s actions.
“Violent crime has become endemic in Washington D.C. as a direct result of political and ideological decisions made by Democrats,” he said. “Those decisions included passing and trying to lock in anti-police measures… which undermined police morale, weakened officer retention, and contributed to a still-ongoing public safety disaster. The CLEAN D.C. Act will reverse that decision, and I call upon my colleagues in Congress to pass it.”
Senator Cornyn, a cosponsor of the legislation, echoed that sentiment.
“For years, the radical liberals on the D.C. Council in Washington have turned their backs on the blue by ushering in new laws and regulations that handicap law enforcement’s ability to do their jobs, spurring rampant, violent crime across our nation’s capital,” Cornyn said.
The D.C. law in question has faced criticism from law enforcement officials for banning traditional policing tactics, removing legal protections and due process rights for officers, authorizing the public release of officer records, and imposing limits on police response to protests and crowd-control situations.
According to police leaders, these changes have demoralized officers, worsened the city's police staffing shortage, and emboldened criminal activity.
In 2023, both chambers of Congress passed a bipartisan resolution to block the D.C. law. Former President Biden vetoed the measure, and Democrats sustained the veto. The new Senate bill, backed by Republicans, has a House companion led by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA).
The legislation is endorsed by the D.C. Police Union and the Fraternal Order of Police. Gregg Pemberton, Chairman of the D.C. Police Union, called the reform law “a failed experiment” that has “enabled lawlessness” and “endangered officers and their families.”
