FIRST ON FOX: The House Oversight Committee is planning to advance several bills next month to back up President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C., Fox News Digital has learned.
A source familiar with the committee’s work told Fox News Digital that the panel will mark up bills to “combat juvenile crime in D.C., address the D.C. education system, and end restrictive policing policies enacted by the D.C. Council that prevent law enforcement from keeping residents and visitors safe.”
It’s a significant step toward congressional Republicans lining up with Trump’s effort to combat crime in the national capital.
The House Oversight Committee is one of two congressional panels that has jurisdiction over the national capital and its operations, so most House-wide legislation dealing with D.C. crime and other similar matters is likely to originate there.
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The committee is also holding a hearing next month on D.C. crime, scheduled for Sept. 18, with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb slated to appear.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., did not elaborate on the legislation in a statement to Fox News Digital but vowed that his panel is working to help further Trump’s goals.
“President Trump and House Republicans are committed to making our nation’s capital safe for every resident and visitor. Thanks to President Trump’s swift action, crime in the District of Columbia has dropped dramatically,” Comer said.
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“The House Oversight Committee stands ready to advance reforms that give D.C. law enforcement the tools they need to protect the public and address the growing juvenile crime crisis. Every person in our nation’s capital deserves to feel safe, and with President Trump, we will make D.C. safe again.”
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., a member of the committee, previously introduced a bill taking on the issue of juvenile crime by lowering the city’s definition of “youth” from 24 years old to 18, meaning that anyone aged 18 or over would be tried as adults.
It’s not clear if that specific bill is among those being marked up by the committee next month, however.
The House Oversight Committee’s latest plans come after the president announced he was federalizing D.C.’s police force for a period of 30 days as part of an effort to combat crime and beautify the city.
He’s also deployed the National Guard from both D.C. and around the country to patrol the nation’s capital, in addition to other federal forces.
Trump said overnight Wednesday that House and Senate GOP leaders “are working with me, and other Republicans, on a Comprehensive Crime Bill.”
Meanwhile, a leadership aide told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that House Republicans are working with the White House on a package of bills “to fix the many problems with D.C. governance and crime.”
