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House Grills D.C. Leaders on Crime as Federal Presence Persists and Home Rule Bills Advance

Partisan claims over the surge pit calls for funding against efforts to limit home rule.

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Residents of the Fairlawn neighborhood in Southeast DC took part in a crime walk Monday afternoon, after recent shootings. (7News)
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Overview

  • At a Thursday Oversight hearing, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Attorney General Brian Schwalb said the federal surge eroded trust and threatened autonomy, while urging police hiring, court confirmations and youth treatment capacity.
  • Although the emergency order has lapsed, federal agencies and National Guard units continue operations in Washington, D.C.
  • The House passed measures to reshape D.C.’s justice system, including lowering the age for charging juveniles as adults and ending the city’s role in judicial selection, with additional bills advancing.
  • Republican leaders cited steep drops in robberies, carjackings and violent crime and thousands of arrests, while the Justice Department and the committee review D.C. crime data after manipulation allegations.
  • Bowser testified the National Guard did not drive crime reductions and credited DEA and FBI support instead, as D.C.’s attorney general sues over the deployments and Democrats question costs estimated near $200 million.