Two Republican members of Congress have proposed a bill to end D.C.’s home rule, taking a jab at the city’s mayor in its name.
Two Republican members of Congress have proposed a bill to end D.C.’s home rule, taking a jab at the city’s mayor in its name.
On Thursday, Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles introduced the “Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident (BOWSER) Act” in Congress, named after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
The proposed bill would revoke the D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973, which allows the city to have control of its own local affairs, including the ability to elect a mayor, a council of representatives and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners who manage neighborhood concerns. Congress still has the authority to review all legislation passed by the D.C. Council and the president appoints the city’s judges.
While the District still has no voting representation in Congress, it has a nonvoting delegate — Del. Eleanor Holmes-Norton, who has served as the city’s representative since 1991.
Lee and Ogles proposed the new bill, voicing their concern over the city’s alleged “failure to prevent violent crime, corruption, and voting by non-citizens,” a joint statement read.
The bill would repeal D.C.’s home rule a year after passage.
Other things they noted as examples of “failures of governance” to back their proposal included the federal bribery charges against D.C. Council member Trayon White, a rise in armed carjackings, multiple assaults and threats to members and staffers of Congress and “soft-on-crime policies,” including the 2022 passing of the Revised Criminal Code, which Congress struck down.
“The radically progressive regime of D.C. Mayor Bowser has left our nation’s Capital in crime-ridden shambles,” Ogles said. “Bowser and her corrupt Washington City Council are incapable of managing the city. As such, it seems appropriate for Congress to reclaim its Constitutional authority and restore the nation’s Capital.”
In response, D.C. Rep. Oye Owolewa said the bill was “nothing more than an attempt to strip away our autonomy and undermine the voices of more than 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home.” Recently released police data also shows that carjackings are down in D.C. by 48%, and armed carjackings are down 52%.
“D.C. residents serve in the military, pay federal taxes, and contribute to this country like every other American. Yet, time and time again, we are forced to defend our basic right to self-governance from those who do not represent us and do not understand our community’s needs,” Owolewa added.
Since 2021, Owolewa has acted as the city’s shadow representative, lobbying for D.C. statehood and the ability to vote in Congress.
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