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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden told Senate Democrats at a closed-door lunch meeting on Thursday that he won’t veto a measure designed to undo changes to D.C. crime law, four sources with direct knowledge told NBC News.
The House voted last month to pass a resolution that would block revisions to the D.C. criminal code recently approved by the D.C. Council. It is expected to also pass the Senate as early as next week, setting up a question for Biden on whether to sign or veto it.
The measure to overrule the D.C. Council has the support of Republicans and some Democrats. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has indicated he would support the measure. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said he would “probably support” it as well, making it more likely to pass.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed Thursday after Biden’s lunch with Senate Democrats that the president told members “that he would not veto the D.C. crime bill if it got the requisite number of votes” to pass Congress.
Biden also told Democrats he supports legislation by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, to beef up railroad safety in the wake of the East Palestine train derailment, Schumer said.
Biden addressed a host of issues during the lunch, Schumer said. “He talked about getting insulin done for everybody, not just senior citizens, in the next year. He talked about the budget and doubled down — no hostage-taking, [Republicans] should just show us their budget. And keeping Medicaid — as important as keeping Medicare,” Schumer said. “And he talked about getting a real bill — an online protection tech bill for kids.”
The White House opposes the House resolution to overturn the D.C. Council’s changes to the city’s criminal code, but had previously stopped short of saying Biden would veto it if it’s sent to his desk. A White House official confirmed Thursday that Biden will not veto it and Biden tweeted that he will sign the legislation, despite his support for D.C.’s autonomy.
“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 wrote. “If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did — I’ll sign it.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser opposed the changes passed by the city council but her veto was overridden. Still, she has called on Congress not to meddle in the district’s sovereignty.
The D.C. Council voted late last year to overhaul the city’s criminal code for the first time in 100 years, NBC4 Washington reported. The bill would have made broad changes to how D.C. approaches crime, including eliminating most mandatory minimum sentences and reducing mandatory maximum penalties, per NBC4, but Bowser vetoed the measure in January, saying it would not make the nation’s capital safer.
The Council overrode her veto, sending the bill to Congress, which has the power to review legislation passed by the city.
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