Key takeaways:
- Four new members of Congress have expressed their views on what can be accomplished in the new Congress.
- Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is the only Senate Democrat who has come out in support of the move to override the D.C. Council.
- President Joe Biden told Senate Democrats he would not veto a Republican-led effort to roll back changes to the District of Columbia’s criminal code.
Four new members of Congress have expressed their views on what can be accomplished in the new Congress. President Joe Biden told Senate Democrats on Thursday he would not veto a Republican-led effort to roll back changes to the District of Columbia’s criminal code.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is the only Senate Democrat who has come out in support of the move to override the D.C. Council. Manchin expressed his support for D.C. statehood and home-rule, but not for some of the changes the D.C. Council put forward over the mayor’s objections, such as lowering penalties for carjackings.
A source in the room for the meeting said the president brought up the matter unprompted. Biden said he would not veto the resolution if it reached his desk, which will likely encourage other Senate Democrats to join Manchin.
The changes to the D.C. criminal code have been years in the making and have been criticized by Republicans for lowering the maximum sentences for crimes like carjacking and burglary. With Biden’s decision not to stand in the way of the GOP’s effort, the resolution could soon be passed.
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