“I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule — but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections — such as lowering penalties for carjackings,” Biden tweeted. “If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did — I’ll sign it.”
Biden has caught heat from his party’s left flank for his Senate leadership on a 1990s-era crime bill, which Democrats including Biden himself later said had problematic elements. He also made an effort to fully detach from the “defund” movement around police reform and has said explicitly that he does not support that view, putting him at times at odds with the activist side of his party.
Prominent progressives, for the most part, have backed away from much of that rhetoric, mindful not to reignite what led to a debate over down ballot losses in recent midterm cycles. And lawmakers airing frustrations were careful to make the subject more about “home rule” and statehood rather than explicitly discussing violent crime or other areas like sentencing penalties.
Some Democrats back Biden’s move
But while some of the most outspoken liberals in and out of Congress were quick to admonish the president, other Democrats offered quiet support of Biden’s decision.