D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was invited to testify before the House Oversight Committee as it continues to hold hearings on crime in the nation's capital.
Bowser was invited to testify on May 16, but said she has not yet responded to the invitation. She said she's still making a decision on whether or not she will go to the hearing.
D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Council Member Charles Allen both appeared before the committee on Wednesday for a hearing on the city's crime and policing.
Republicans on the committee argued that crime has become a crisis and the Council is soft on crime.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
"Crime has risen dramatically, education levels have plummeted, and the city's finances are in disarray," the committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said. "D.C. officials have not carried out their responsibility to serve their citizens."
Mendelson pushed back.
"Let me be clear: People should feel safe, and it is a problem that many residents of the District don't," Mendelson said at the hearing. "But the number of violent crime incidents in 2022 was 45% lower than a decade earlier. And total violent crime last year was 7% less than the year before. I know this belies the common belief, and when it comes to crime, how people feel is important. But there is not a crime crisis in Washington, D.C."
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
That hearing ended with the committee passing a measure by voice vote that would block the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act, which has been in effect on an emergency basis pending congressional approval since 2022. The full House could vote on the issue next month.
President Joe Biden signed legislation in March that nullified the D.C. Council's overhaul of the city's criminal code.
