House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) praised President Donald Trump's efforts to crack down on crime in Washington, D.C., as the nation's capital has seen an overwhelming amount of crime in the past few years, thanks to soft-on-crime policies and Democratic leadership.
In a statement, Comer applauded President Trump for taking decisive executive action to crack down on crime in the nation's capital, addressing what conservatives see as the failure of the D.C. Council’s lenient policies. He said that the Trump administration’s move reflects core conservative priorities to protect public safety. Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee is also working on legislative measures and plans to hold a hearing with key D.C. officials to ensure continued oversight and promote a safer, thriving capital.
This comes after the White House announced on Monday the activation of the D.C. National Guard and the federalization of the Metropolitan Police Department to strengthen local law enforcement efforts and address crime in D.C.
"President Trump is rightly using executive power to take bold and necessary action to crack down on crime and restore law and order in Washington, D.C. For years, the D.C. Council’s radical, soft-on-crime agenda has emboldened criminals and put public safety at risk in our nation’s capital," Comer said. "Protecting all Americans and tackling crime are core conservative policy priorities, and today’s actions by the Trump Administration mark another promise kept. Alongside President Trump, the House Oversight Committee is also advancing legislative solutions to protect Americans in their capital city and plans to hold a hearing with the District Attorney General Brian Schwalb, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and Mayor Muriel Bowser this September. The Committee looks forward to continuing its constitutional duty to oversee D.C. and will work with the Trump Administration to ensure a safe, beautiful, and prosperous capital."
🚨President Trump is rightly using executive power to take bold and necessary action to crack down on crime and restore law and order in Washington, D.C.
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) August 11, 2025
The D.C. Council’s radical, soft-on-crime agenda has emboldened criminals and put public safety at risk. https://t.co/M5HVmmKv43
Further, the House Oversight Committee, which has authority over Washington, D.C., is actively exercising its constitutional responsibility by monitoring and challenging decisions made by local D.C. officials. Under Comer, the Committee helped pass House Joint Resolution 26, which successfully blocked the D.C. Council’s controversial Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022, a law criticized for being soft on crime. The resolution was supported by both chambers of Congress and signed by President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, a second resolution, House Joint Resolution 42, was designed to overturn another D.C. law perceived as anti-police. While it passed Congress, Biden vetoed it. However, pressure from the Committee led the D.C. Council to backtrack and scale back many parts of the anti-police legislation on its own. In May 2024, the House of Representatives passed the "D.C. Criminal Reform to Immediately Make Everyone Safer (D.C. CRIMES) Act." Comer explained that the legislation is designed to block the D.C. Council from advancing progressive, soft-on-crime policies, using Congress’s constitutional authority to help curb rising crime in D.C. Last week, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) reintroduced the D.C. Criminal Reform to Make Everyone Safer Immediately (D.C. CRIMES) Act, aiming to restore safety and order in the city.