Crime commission and cleanliness program in DC?
The “Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act” seeks to establish new programs within the District of Columbia (DC) to keep the district “safe and beautiful.” These changes include 1) a new commission within the executive branch, involving various federal entities and agencies, to reduce crime and enforce immigration law within DC, and 2) a federal program by the Department of the Interior that will clean and maintain commonly visited spaces in DC, as well as restore and remove these properties if they have been damaged or inappropriately altered.
Sponsor: Rep. John J. McGuire III (Republican, Virginia, District 5)
View full bill text ➔
How do you feel?
Oppose
Support
Opponents say
• "In a time where agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement are terrorizing communities across the nation with their extreme tactics, this bill would further enhance these tactics in D.C. by redirecting law enforcement resources on all levels to deport individuals and separate families. This bill and the executive order that preceded it were born out of flawed data that states that D.C.’s crime rate is at an all-time high, when in reality, violent crime was down 35% in 2024 and overall violent crime in D.C. is at a 30-year low, according to statistics released by the Department of Justice. One of the more insulting aspects of this paternalistic bill is that the proposed ‘District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission’ would not even be required to have D.C. officials on it. Let me be clear: Republican members of Congress, who are not accountable to D.C., have no business dictating the local laws of a city where 700,000 people live, work, and have chosen their own leaders through the democratic process. If Republicans truly cared about making D.C. safe and beautiful, then they would fully fund the National Park Service, which maintains over 90% of D.C.’s park land, and has lost a quarter of their staff." Source: Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, District of Columbia)
• "On Tuesday the House Rules Committee will advance a bill called “Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act” (H.R. 5103). Do not be distracted by its name. This bill would massively expand federal police, guns, immigration enforcement, and imprisonment of people in DC in order to suppress dissent and prevent a transfer of power. In an election year, this bill would: “direct the maximum enforcement of Federal immigration law,” “encourage the redirection of available resources to apprehend and deport illegal aliens,” intensify arrests for fare evasion at WMATA, “increase the speed of processing concealed carry license requests in DC,” expand “pretrial detention to the maximum extent permitted by law,” support “facilitating the deployment of a more robust Federal law enforcement presence,” and empower a federal commission to “request operational assistance from MPD...[i]n collaboration with its leadership and union.” All members of Congress who support fair and free elections in this country need to oppose the “Make DC Safe and Beautiful Act” (H.R. 5103)." Source: Free DC
Proponents say
• "I want to begin by stating clearly and at the outset that the officers of the United States Park Police Fraternal Order of Police strongly support H.R. 5103… We urge Congress to enact this bill as soon as possible. Our support for H.R. 5103 is not about politics. The officers I represent have served under Democratic and Republican administrations alike. We have enforced the law and protected the public through changes in party control, changes in policy, and changes in public opinion. What has not changed is our responsibility to keep people safe on federal lands and throughout the Nation’s Capital, and our daily experience of the crime realities that this bill seeks to address. In recent years, violent and property crime in Washington have reached levels that are simply not acceptable for the capital of the United States. Residents, workers, and visitors deserve better. The city’s monuments, memorials, parks, highways, and transit systems deserve better. H.R. 5103 recognizes that reality and provides important tools and direction for cleaning up and protecting the spaces that define this city and our country. We are asking both parties to recognize the gravity of the public safety situation in Washington and to come together around this practical, targeted piece of legislation." Source: Kenneth Spencer, the Government Affairs Chief of Staff of the United States Park Police Fraternal Order of Police
• "The Department supports H.R. 5103, which aligns closely with Executive Order (EO) 14252… Together, the bill and the executive order advance a shared goal: ensuring that the Nation’s Capital is clean, safe, and beautiful, reflective of our history and heritage. The Department, primarily through the National Park Service (NPS) and the United States Park Police (USPP), has long been entrusted with stewarding many of the District of Columbia’s most iconic landscapes, memorials, and public spaces… In recent years, the District of Columbia has faced challenges that threaten both the safety of its residents and visitors, as well as the integrity of these public spaces… H.R. 5103 codifies the principles of EO 14252. It statutorily establishes the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission that, as described in the EO, will “work closely with local officials to share information, develop joint priorities, and maximize resources to make the District of Columbia safe.” H.R. 5103 also directs the Secretary of the Interior to develop a program to beautify the District of Columbia, focusing on cleanliness, restoration and encouraging private-sector participation. Codifying these principles in statute will allow the Department to plan more effectively and invest in long-term strategies to work with others to restore and maintain the Nation’s Capital." Source: Robert D. Maclean, Director of the Office of Law Enforcement and Security
- Rep. John McGuire Introduces Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act (Press Release)
- Making The District Of Columbia Safe And Beautiful (Executive Order)
- The lasting impact of Trump’s federal surge on one D.C. neighborhood (The Washington Post)
- Trump's crime crackdown credited for historic drop in DC murder rates (Fox News)
- H.R. 5103 Cost Estimate (Congressional Budget Office)
