The House on Tuesday advanced a pair of bills that would override local D.C. criminal justice law and make it easier to impose strict penalties on young offenders.
A number of Democrats crossed the aisle to vote in favor of the legislation, which many in their party said was patronizing to D.C. and would infringe on the District’s right to self-govern.
Meanwhile, Republicans painted the bills as part of a larger, commonsense push to crack down on crime in D.C. — an issue that has attracted special attention from President Donald Trump.
