On 3/2/2023, President Joe Biden said he is willing to sign a Republican-sponsored resolution blocking new District of Columbia laws. 31 House Democrats backed Republicans’ opposition to the bill in the floor vote earlier this month. In doing so, the president would be allowing Congress to nullify the city’s laws for the first time in more than three decades. Biden’s opposition to vetoing the House’s measure means members of Congress may successfully block a D.C. bill from becoming law for the first time in more than three decades, infringing on the District’s home rule, a 1973 act aimed at allowing D.C. residents to control their own local affairs. “One thing the president believes in is making sure that the streets in America and communities across the country are safe,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “That includes D.C.”
Jean-Pierre repeatedly sidestepped questions about how Biden’s decision to substitute his own judgment and that of Congress for the will of the city’s elected representatives squares with his past support for self-government in the district. “[President Biden] believes that every city should have the right to self-government. But this is different,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a conference Wednesday. “The D.C. Council put changes forward over the mayor’s objections.” “The decision he’s making, he’s making for the people of D.C.,” she said.
The district lacks the same rights that states have to make and amend laws. While Congress has allowed the city’s residents some powers of “home rule,” it has retained veto powers over district government actions. District residents also do not have voting members of Congress. The law overhaul was approved late last year by the D.C. Council. It overrode a veto by Mayor Muriel Bowser, who had concerns over some of the changes. The resolution passed the House with some Democratic support and appears poised to clear the U.S. Senate on a bipartisan basis as well, perhaps as early as next week. After Biden privately told senators that he’d sign the measure overriding the changes, some Democratic senators said they’d support the measure too.
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Q: Biden still support DC statehood? Student Loan backup, plan B, no Alternative plan?