{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lee.senate.gov/2025/9/senator-lee-cosponsors-clean-d-c-act", "Senator Lee Cosponsors CLEAN D.C. Act", "2025-09-03", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "UT", "Mike Lee", "L000577", "www.lee.senate.gov", "mikelee", "https://www.lee.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) joined Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and a coalition of their Republican colleagues in introducing the Common-Sense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now (CLEAN) D.C. Act today. The legislation empowers law enforcement in D.C. by repealing sweeping restrictions made by D.C.\u2019s City Council and Democrats in Congress under President Joe Biden.\n\n\u201cFor too long, Congress has failed to keep D.C. safe and allowed corrupt local officials to prioritize politics over people\u2019s lives,\u201d said Senator Mike Lee. \u201cThe CLEAN D.C. Act is a step in the right direction as Congress reasserts its constitutional duty to safeguard D.C.\u201d\n\n\u201cViolent crime has become endemic in Washington DC as a direct result of political and ideological decisions made by Democrats,\u201d said Senator Ted Cruz. \u201cThose 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.\u201d\n\nThe CLEAN D.C. Act was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and U.S. Representative Andrew Clyde (R-GA) introduced companion legislation in the House.\n\n\u201cFor far too long, our nation\u2019s capital has been plagued by rampant crime and unsafe streets,\u201d said Senator Ted Budd. \u201cI 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\u2019s agenda \u2014 putting safety first.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor 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\u2019s ability to do their jobs, spurring rampant, violent crime across our nation\u2019s capital,\u201d said Senator John Cornyn. \u201cThis 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.\u201d\n\n\u201cIdaho serves as a model of low crime and safe streets, while Washington, DC\u2019s crime and threats to public safety required President Trump\u2019s intervention to bring law and order,\u201d said Senator Jim Risch. \u201cThe CLEAN DC Act will ensure law enforcement can continue to support the President\u2019s efforts to prioritize the safety of all Americans in our nation\u2019s capital.\u201d\n\n\u201cWashington, D.C. is the capital of the free world \u2013 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,\u201d said Senator Tommy Tuberville. \u201cThe 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\u2019m proud to join this legislation with Senator Cruz to remove red tape that\u2019s 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\u2019s capital.\n\n\u201cCongress must once again exercise our constitutional authority to repeal the D.C. City Council\u2019s anti-police law that has recklessly put criminals first and our men and women in blue last,\u201d said Rep. Andrew Clyde. \u201cUnlike Joe Biden \u2014 who vetoed this commonsense legislation in 2023, President Trump stands for law and order. Sending the CLEAN DC Act to President Trump\u2019s desk will further bolster his successful efforts to make our nation\u2019s 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\u2019s severely misguided law.\u201d\n\nThis bill is endorsed by the D.C. Police Union and the Fraternal Order of Police.\n\n\u201cThe 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.\" \u2013 Gregg Pemberton, Chairman, D.C. Police Union\n\nBackground\n\nCosponsoring the CLEAN D.C. Act is part of Senator Lee\u2019s ongoing support for President Donald Trump\u2019s agenda to make Washington D.C. safe and beautiful again by asserting Congress\u2019 constitutional authority to govern the nation\u2019s capital.\n\nIn February, Senator Lee introduced the Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident (BOWSER) Act. In response to the mayor and city council\u2019s failure to prevent violent crime, corruption, and voting by non-citizens, the BOWSER Act would repeal the District of Columbia Home Rule Act and restore Congress\u2019 constitutional authority to govern D.C.\n\nSenator Lee then introduced legislation to block the D.C. City Council from holding secret meetings and circumventing President Trump\u2019s efforts to manage crime and sanitation issues across the city. This bill would provide transparency and prevent corruption by closing the loophole councilmembers use to avoid accountability to their own citizens and Congress.\n\nThe CLEAN D.C. Act\n\nThe CLEAN D.C. Act repeals the D.C. City Council\u2019s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, which imposed sweeping restrictions on law enforcement in Washington, D.C.\n\nIn 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.\n\nThe D.C. Council\u2019s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 weakens D.C. law enforcement by:\n\nBanning longstanding and proven police tactics.\n\nStripping legal protections and due process rights for officers.\n\nThreatening police officer safety by authorizing public release of records.\n\nImposing restrictions on policing protests and the use of non-lethal crowd control.\n\nLaw enforcement leaders have warned that these provisions demoralize officers, worsen D.C.\u2019s law enforcement staffing crisis, and embolden criminals.\n\nRead bill text for the CLEAN D.C. Act here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T15:07:37Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lee.senate.gov/2025/9/senator-lee-cosponsors-clean-d-c-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5568011440336704, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}