Biden reverses controversial DC crime bill.
President Biden signed a Republican-sponsored bill to block a controversial update to Washington, DC’s criminal code that would have lowered maximum penalties for certain violent crimes, including carjackings. Republicans in Congress slammed the DC Council’s changes to the district’s criminal code as “soft-on-crime” and used the chamber’s rarely used oversight responsibilities over DC to nix the legislation. The DC Council attempted to withdraw the crime bill from congressional consideration earlier this month amid signs that it would be overturned, but the Home Rule Act, which governs the district, does not allow for the withdrawal of legislation.
