“We are alarmed by the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of a resolution of disapproval to block D.C.’s duly passed law to modernize its criminal code, and to preserve a status quo in a system that is failing The District’s residents. Bowing to misleading fearmongering about crime and baseless attacks against immigrants, the House is betraying the more than a decade long effort by the District to make commonsense and necessary reforms that bring its criminal justice system into the 21st Century.

“The residents of The District deserve a criminal code that reflects their values and needs – and, critically, one that is enacted by representatives who are fully accountable to them. The U.S. Congress very clearly is not, and we’re grateful to the Members who voted ‘no.’. We urge the Senate to reject this disapproval resolution, which is an unwarranted interference by Congress that not only undermines the democratic will of The District’s residents, but also undermines justice and public safety in the nation’s capital.”