[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 38 (Tuesday, February 28, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S511]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 CRIME

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on another matter, crime in our 
Nation's Capital is literally out of control. Washington, DC, has 
already seen about three dozen homicides in just the first 2 months of 
the year. This is a 35-percent increase over last year's pace. There 
have been more than 1,300 thefts from autos--a 25-percent increase over 
last year's pace--and more than 1,100 thefts of motor vehicles, 
including carjackings, more than doubling last year's pace for a 
shattering 109-percent increase.
  At best, the liberal city politicians who have presided over this 
ongoing collapse in law and order are doing basically nothing. The 
Mayor recently announced that the city will hand out free steering 
wheel locks to residents who own certain kinds of vehicles.
  But some local officials are not content with doing nothing and have 
set their minds to making the situation actually worse. The city 
council just passed a new criminal code designed to go even softer 
still on crime, reducing penalties for a number of violent offenses and 
property crimes.
  To a unique degree, unlike any other city in America, Washington, DC, 
issues are national issues. The District of Columbia doesn't belong to 
a handful of local politicians; it belongs to more than 330 million 
American citizens. The people need their government to function in 
safety. Families and school groups need to be able to come tour the 
Capital, which their own tax dollars help finance, in peace of body and 
peace of mind.
  This is why the Constitution entrusts our seat of government to a 
Federal district. It is why Federal law gives Congress the ability to 
step in and help govern our Nation's Capital City if local politicians 
fail to take care of basic business.
  Now, amazingly, the same Washington Democrats who have spent the last 
several years trying to steamroll localism and federalism in every way 
possible are now, all of a sudden, indignant at the notion that 
Congress might toughen up penalties for violent crime here in the 
District.
  Just last year alone, Democrats, right here in this Chamber, tried to 
break the Senate rules so they could micromanage every county in 
America's election laws. They tried to ram through a bill that would 
have swept away State and local laws and forced every community in 
America to adopt radical abortion laws on par with China and North 
Korea. Over the last 2 years, Democrats have passed bill after bill 
that spent trillions of dollars to interfere in American families' 
lives and put more of our society under the thumb of Federal 
bureaucrats.
  So when it comes to radical far-left priorities, Washington Democrats 
have no qualms whatsoever about this city steamrolling 50 States and 
local communities. They vote for that outcome 8 days a week. But now, 
when public safety is in free fall in our Federal city itself, now 
Washington Democrats pretend they have become small government 
federalists and they want Congress out of the picture. This is a 
desperate attempt to change the subject, and it could not be less 
persuasive.

  Democrats want Washington, DC, to take over every State law, even 
small business decisions and every family's financial choices. But we 
are supposed to believe that cleaning up violent crime in Washington, 
DC, itself, would be a bridge too far. Really?
  They are just trying to duck the real debate. Democrats want to 
debate anything and everything beside violent crime itself because the 
modern Democratic Party and its coalitions have decided it is more 
important to have compassion for serial violent felons than for 
innocent citizens who just want to live their lives.
  That is the issue here--a binary choice. Should we be softer on crime 
like Democrats want at the State, local, and Federal levels, or should 
we be tougher on crime like Republicans and the American people want? 
That is the debate.
  I want to thank Senator Hagerty for spearheading the commonsense 
resolution that would nullify the DC Council's insane pro-criminal 
legislation and bring at least an ounce of common sense back to the 
American people's Federal city.

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