XPost: alt.politics.democrats, talk.politics.guns, sac.politics
XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
From: stupid.democrats@nytimes.com
In article
wrote:
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> Leftists are Nazi pigs.
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In a private meeting on Thursday President Biden informed Senate
Democrats that he will not use his veto power to block a GOP-led
effort to repeal D.C.'s new crime law. Senate Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer confirmed the decision to reporters following the
meeting.
The president later confirmed his decision in a tweet stating:
"I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule – but I don't support
some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor's
objections – such as lowering penalties for carjackings. If the
Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did – I'll sign it."
The Senate is expected to vote as early as next week on a
resolution that, if passed, would overturn a contentious law
passed by the liberal Washington, D.C., city council to revise
the capital's criminal code. The D.C. Council initially passed
the law in November 2022, but it was vetoed by Democratic Mayor
Muriel Bowser. The council then over-rode the veto earlier this
year.
Biden has the power to save the law by using his veto pen
because neither chamber of Congress is likely to have a veto-
proof margin to override it. His disinterest in doing so will
hand Republicans a rare victory as well as provide the president
some political cover to possible accusations that he is "soft"
on crime ahead of his likely 2024 reelection bid.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents D.C. in Congress,
said she was "disappointed" by the president's decision and
hoped he would change his mind.
At issue are components of the new criminal code that would
reduce maximum criminal penalties for violent crimes like
carjackings, as well as expand rights to jury trials for certain
misdemeanor offenses that critics said would stretch the
capacity of an already overwhelmed court system. The debate is
happening as the nation's capital has seen an uptick in crime,
according to police data.
The GOP-led House already approved a resolution to block the
crime bill last month, with 31 Democrats joining Republicans in
favor of it. The vote took place the same day Rep. Angie Craig,
D-Minn., was attacked in her D.C. apartment building. Craig
voted to overturn the law. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has
already said he will vote with Republicans, virtually ensuring
it will pass the Senate because it requires only a simple
majority to pass. Democrats are also down one vote as Sen. John
Fetterman, D-Pa., is absent seeking mental health treatment.
Congress has unique legislative power over Washington, D.C.,
outlined both in the U.S. Constitution and the 1973 District of
Columbia Home Rule Act, which gives Congress the power to block
any laws by the D.C. Council. While rarely used, it is not
unprecedented.
Most Democrats oppose overturning the new criminal code based on
the party's support for D.C. statehood, and the argument that
the city should be able to govern itself without federal
interference. While Mayor Bowser shares concerns about the
criminal code, The Washington Post reported she is lobbying
senators to oppose the resolution and allow officials to address
concerns with the code on the local level.
That message is compelling for Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii. "For
me, this just speaks to why D.C. statehood should be voted on,
and I'm very much in support, because these issues should not be
decided by us for the D.C. people. They should have their own
representatives doing that."
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* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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