WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and several GOP colleagues in introducing the CLEAN D.C. Act. The bill repeals the D.C. Council’s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022. Earlier today, Sen. Tuberville also joined colleagues in a press conference to underscore how President Trump’s successful game plan to combat crime in blue cities like D.C.
“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,” said Sen. Tuberville. “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.”
“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,” said Sen. Cruz.
Sens. Tuberville and Cruz were joined by Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Jim Risch (R-ID) in cosponsoring the bill. U.S. Representative Andrew Clyde (R-GA-09) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
D.C. Police Union and the Fraternal Order of the Police endorsed the legislation.
Read full text of the legislation 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.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
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