- Sen. Mike Lee and Sen. Ted Cruz co-sponsor the CLEAN D.C. Act.
- The bill aims to reverse Washington's 2022 policing reforms criticized as "anti-police."
- Lee supports federal control over D.C., aligning with Trump's National Guard deployment.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Sen. Mike Lee wants to roll back policing reforms approved by Washington, D.C., in 2022 as he has cheered President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to combat crime in the capital city.
Lee is cosponsoring the Common-Sense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now (CLEAN) D.C. Act along with fellow Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, which would undo actions taken by the Washington, D.C., City Council that restrict neck restraints, make it easier to access bodycam footage and raise standards for police for applicants, according to the Hill.
The Republicans argue their bill empowers law enforcement in the capital, saying the City Council hurt officer morale and calling the 2022 reforms "anti-police."
"For too long, Congress has failed to keep D.C. safe and allowed corrupt local officials to prioritize politics over people's lives," Lee stated. "The CLEAN D.C. Act is a step in the right direction as Congress reasserts its constitutional duty to safeguard D.C."
Cruz said violence "has become endemic in Washington," and blamed "decisions made by Democrats."
"Those 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," Cruz said. "The CLEAN D.C. Act will reverse that decision, and I call upon my colleagues in Congress to pass it."
The bill comes as Trump and Republicans in Congress have sought more control over Washington, which was granted self-governance by Congress in 1973. Trump deployed the National Guard to the capital and federalized the city's police force last month, and the district's attorney general sued Thursday to stop the deployment.
But Lee would like to see the federal government maintain more power over Washington and is the sponsor of another bill that would repeal the 1973 Home Rule Act and place the district under congressional control.
"President Trump's decision to invoke Section 740 to federalize DC police and deploy the National Guard is a HUGE step toward making our nation's capital safe again — but it's temporary without Congress acting!" Lee wrote on social media last month.
