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Sen. Cruz, Colleagues Introduce the CLEAN D.C. Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and colleagues, introduced the CLEAN D.C. Act. The bill repeals the D.C. Council’s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, which imposed sweeping restrictions on law enforcement in Washington, D.C.

In 2023, the House and Senate passed legislation with bipartisan support to block that measure. President Biden vetoed the resolution, and Democrats sustained his veto the same year.

Sen. Cruz said, “Violent crime has become endemic in Washington DC as a direct result of political and ideological decisions made by Democrats. Those decisions included passing and trying to lock in anti-police measures such as the Orwellian-named Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, which undermined police morale, weakened officer retention, and contributed to a still-ongoing public safety disaster. The CLEAN D.C. Act will reverse that decision, and I call upon my colleagues in Congress to pass it.”

This legislation was cosponsored by Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.).

Sen. Risch said, “Idaho serves as a model of low crime and safe streets, while Washington, DC’s crime and threats to public safety required President Trump’s intervention to bring law and order. The CLEAN DC Act will ensure law enforcement can continue to support the President’s efforts to prioritize the safety of all Americans in our nation’s capital.”

Sen. Lee said, “For too long, Congress has failed to keep D.C. safe and allowed corrupt local officials to prioritize politics over people’s lives. The CLEAN D.C. Act is a step in the right direction as Congress reasserts its constitutional duty to safeguard D.C.”

Sen. Tuberville said, “Washington, D.C. is the capital of the free world – instead of being a shining example to metro areas across the globe, it has become a cesspool for criminals and illegals to get away with violent crime. The D.C. police should have every tool in the toolkit to enforce the law and fight crime. We owe it to them, along with the millions of people who live, work, and visit D.C. every year, to keep this city safe. I’m proud to join this legislation with Senator Cruz to remove red tape that’s preventing our police officers from being able to do their jobs. Keeping people safe and locking the bad guys up is common sense and I hope my colleagues can get off their high horse and vote for the wellbeing of our nation’s capital.

Sen. Cornyn said, “For years, the radical liberals on the D.C. Council in Washington have turned their backs on the blue by ushering in new laws and regulations that handicap law enforcement’s ability to do their jobs, spurring rampant, violent crime across our nation’s capital. This legislation would repeal one of these harmful laws that unfairly targeted police by restricting their ability to pursue a fleeing target or stop a violent protest so our brave law enforcement officers can once again feel empowered to make D.C. safe for all.”

Sen. Budd said, “For far too long, our nation’s capital has been plagued by rampant crime and unsafe streets. I am proud to join Senator Cruz and my colleagues in reaffirming Congressional authority to implement common-sense policing measures in Washington, D.C., to support the President’s agenda — putting safety first.”

Sen. Britt said, “In 2023, one of my staffers was carjacked and held at gunpoint, just one mile from our nation’s Capitol building. D.C.’s crime rate is higher than the national average and even higher than that of many capital cities in third-world countries. To put it simply, anyone who says D.C. doesn’t have a crime problem isn’t facing the facts. I’m proud to join Senator Cruz and my Republican colleagues in cosponsoring the CLEAN D.C. Act, which builds on President Trump’s historic action to make D.C. beautiful and safe again by reversing the liberal D.C. City Council’s reckless 2022 law that lessens penalties for violent crimes.”

Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.-9).

Rep. Clyde said, “Congress must once again exercise our constitutional authority to repeal the D.C. City Council’s anti-police law that has recklessly put criminals first and our men and women in blue last. Unlike Joe Biden — who vetoed this commonsense legislation in 2023, President Trump stands for law and order. Sending the CLEAN DC Act to President Trump’s desk will further bolster his successful efforts to make our nation’s capital safe again for the American people. I thank Senator Cruz for leading this critical bill in the Senate, and I urge our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to put public safety over politics by supporting our efforts to repeal the D.C. Council’s severely misguided law.”

This bill is endorsed by the D.C. Police Union and the Fraternal Order of Police.

Gregg Pemberton, Chairman of the D.C. Police Union said, “The D.C. Police Union, representing 3,000 dedicated officers of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), expresses profound gratitude to Senator Ted Cruz for his steadfast leadership in introducing legislation to repeal the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act, a misguided and harmful law that has plagued our city's public safety since its enactment. This new repeal effort is a critical step toward restoring common-sense law enforcement in our Nation's Capital. The Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act has not reformed anything, it has enabled lawlessness, endangered officers and their families, and driven away the very professionals needed to keep D.C. safe. We urge all Senators to pass this repeal with the same bipartisan resolve shown in 2023, and we call on the President to sign it into law. Our city cannot afford another day of this failed experiment."

Read the bill text here.

BACKGROUND

The D.C. Council’s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 weakens D.C. law enforcement by:

  • Banning longstanding and proven police tactics.
  • Stripping legal protections and due process rights for officers.
  • Threatening police officer safety by authorizing public release of records.
  • Imposing restrictions on policing protests and the use of non-lethal crowd control.

Law enforcement leaders have warned that these provisions demoralize officers, worsen D.C.’s law enforcement staffing crisis, and embolden criminals.

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