D.C. Council Chairman Tries to Withdraw City’s Soft-on-Crime Bill Before U.S. Senate Votes to Disapprove

Washington, DC, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) sent a letter to the U.S. Senate on Monday morning in an attempt to withdraw the city’s criminal code revision legislation before the Democrat-controlled Senate is expected to vote with the Republicans on a disapproval resolution that would overturn the bill.

“On behalf of the Council of the District of Columbia, I am withdrawing my January 27, 2023 transmittal of D.C. Act 24-789, the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022,” Mendelson stated in his letter to Vice President Kamala Harris, the president of the Senate.

The attempt to withdraw the legislation comes after a disapproval resolution passed the House in February and was expected to be voted on in the Senate — and pass — this week. The disapproval resolution has enough support from Senate Democrats, along with Senate Republicans. President Joe Biden has also said he would not use his veto to stop the disapproval resolution.

Mendelson noted in his letter that the legislation is being withdrawn “in light of Congressional comments,” with a plan to work on a new version of criminal code revision and resubmit it to the House and Senate. He also acknowledged that withdrawing the legislation would prevent the Act from being considered by Congress and effectively kill the disapproval resolution.

However, despite the last-ditch effort from Mendelson, the Senate is still expected to vote this week on the disapproval resolution that would overturn the city’s criminal code revision legislation, according to CNN’s Manu Raju.

“Not only does the statute not allow for a withdrawal of a transmission, but at this point, the Senate Republican privileged motion will be acting on the House disapproval resolution, rather than the DC Council’s transmission to the Senate,” Raju said he was told from a Senate leadership aide.

CNN’s Lauren Fox also noted that the leadership aide explained that the statute doesn’t allow a withdrawal because “the Senate GOP privileged motion will be acting on the House disapproval resolution, rather than the DC Council’s transmission to the Senate. We still expect the vote to occur.”

The district’s criminal code revision legislation — despite rampant crime — reduces punishments for a variety of serious criminal offenses and allows misdemeanor cases to be tried by a jury. The legislation was passed through D.C.’s city council after they overrode the mayor’s veto. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), fresh off her recent reelection, has proposed an amendment to the bill.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.