Congressional Bill Introduced to Strip DC’s Local Authority

WASHINGTON — Two members of Congress introduced a bill on Thursday to repeal the Home Rule Act that gives Washington, D.C., legislative control over its own affairs.

The lawmakers cited the city’s difficulty controlling crime, the District of Columbia Council’s allowance for noncitizens to vote in local elections and corruption among officials as showing the need for Congress to exert more influence.

The bill uses the acronym BOWSER, named after Mayor Muriel Bowser. It stands for the Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident Act.

“The radically progressive regime of D.C. Mayor Bowser has left our nation’s capital in crime-ridden shambles,” said Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., in a statement.

He co-sponsored the bill along with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. They introduced it two days after the D.C. Council voted to expel Councilmember Trayon White on charges of taking bribes from a city contractor.

“Bowser and her corrupt Washington City Council are incapable of managing the city,” Ogles said. “As such, it seems appropriate for Congress to reclaim its constitutional authority and restore the nation’s capital.”

Approval of the BOWSER Act by Congress would have the effect of abolishing the District of Columbia’s government. Instead, Congress would make governmental decisions for the city’s roughly 700,000 residents.

The D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973 organized the city council and the mayor’s office. It allowed them to pass local laws, but with veto authority reserved for Congress.

The act transferred powers to the D.C. Council comparable to state, county and city legislatures. It included authority to approve an annual budget submitted by the mayor.

Only rarely has Congress exercised its veto power over the D.C. Council.

In 2014, Congress voted to override Initiative 71, which local residents approved to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use.

In 2023, Congress blocked the city from revising its criminal code in a way that would eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for many crimes. The revision also would have reduced maximum penalties for other crimes, such as burglary, carjacking and robbery.

The BOWSER Act appears to continue a pledge by President Donald Trump while he was campaigning for his second term last year.

Trump said at a Las Vegas campaign rally that if he is reelected, he would “take over our horribly run capital.” 

“We’re going to federalize it,” Trump said. “We’re going to have the toughest law enforcement in the country.”

Lee, the Senate co-sponsor, made a similar comment Thursday, saying, “The corruption, crime and incompetence of the D.C. government has been an embarrassment to our nation’s capital for decades.”

Introduction of the BOWSER Act in Congress drew strong opposition from local residents.

Daniel Solomon, co-founder of D.C. Vote, a nonprofit that advocates for greater self-governance for Washington, D.C., said, “This bill flies in the face of basic democratic principles by revoking D.C.’s limited local autonomy. The district’s residents have fought too hard and too long for self-governance to see it dismantled by members of Congress who do not answer to the people of D.C.”

Critics of the bill say its premise that crime is out of control in the nation’s capital is incorrect.

Local police statistics show crime in Washington is falling. Violent crime dropped 35% and property crime was down 11% in 2024 compared with 2023, the statistics show. Armed carjackings fell 52%.

Oye Owolewa, who lobbies for the District of Columbia in Congress, said, “D.C. residents serve in the military, pay federal taxes and contribute to this country like every other American. Yet, time and time again, we are forced to defend our basic right to self-governance from those who do not represent us and do not understand our community’s needs.”

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