Karoline Leavitt says Trump is still mulling having Congress end D.C.’s Home Rule Act

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed Tuesday that President Donald Trump is still mulling having Congress end D.C.’s Home Rule Act.

Passed by Congress in 1973, the District of Columbia Home Rule Act is a federal law that grants limited self-governance to Washington, D.C., therefore allowing it to function kinda like a state while still remaining under federal oversight.

The law specifically sets up a D.C. mayor and city council, but requires that any legislation passed by the council first be reviewed and approved by Congress.

Asked during a briefing on Tuesday about whether Trump is “still interested” in ending the Home Rule Act and federally taking over the city, Leavitt suggested he “very much” is:

(Video Credit: CNN)

“The president is very much still interested in working with Congress to address many of the issues that have plagued Washington, D.C., such as the cashless bail policy, which has been a complete disaster for the city,” she said. “Juvenile delinquency is another major problem in the city that Congress can address.”

“So I know Congress is on recess right now. When they get back to work in Washington, this president looks forward to having these conversations with our friends on Capitol Hill so we can work with them to make D.C. safe and beautiful again,” she added.

“And again, we encourage Democrats to join us in this effort. Perhaps their approval ratings would move up a little bit if they did. I saw a new poll today: Democrat approval rating is at an all-time low, 32 percent. If they could just stand by the basic notion of law and order, perhaps they would see that tick up a bit, and we welcome them to do that,” she concluded.

Her remarks came as D.C. Mayor Buriel Bowser reupped her push for the district to be turned into a state.

“We have seen a precipitous lessening of crime in the city, violent crime, especially after a post-COVID spike that we acknowledge, and we got after, and we drove down the numbers in 2023,” she said during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” according to The Hill.

“We reported last year the lowest level of violent crime in 30 years. So, we’re not taking our foot off the gas. We’re continuing to work, but we think that this action kind of plays into his narrative about cities, about using force, about being tough on crime, and I can say a little bit more about why D.C. is different, but it’s times like this when America needs to know why your nation’s capital, a place where 700,000 taxpaying Americans live, should be the 51st state,” she added.

She’s pushed for statehood before, including after the Jan. 6 riot.

“We must get statehood on the president’s desk within the first 100 days of the 117th Congress,” she said at the time. “Congress must immediately transfer command of the District of Columbia National Guard from the president of the United States and put it squarely under the command and control of the District of Columbia.”

We must get DC statehood on the President’s desk within the first 100 days of the 117th Congress. pic.twitter.com/APrxMFGLKA

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 7, 2021

All this comes a couple of months after Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles introduced a bill in February, the BOWSER Act, that would revoke D.C.’s Home Rule Act.

“The corruption, crime, and incompetence of the D.C. government has been an embarrassment to our nation’s capital for decades,” Lee said in a statement at the time. “It is long past time that Congress restored the honor and integrity of George Washington to the beautiful city which bears his name.”

“The radically progressive regime of D.C. Mayor Bowser has left our nation’s Capital in crime-ridden shambles,” Ogles added. “Washington is now known for its homicides, rapes, drug overdoses, violence, theft, and homelessness. Bowser and her corrupt Washington City Council are incapable of managing the city.”

“As such, it seems appropriate for Congress to reclaim its Constitutional authority and restore the nation’s Capital. The epicenter of not only the United States Federal Government but also the world geopolitics cannot continue to be a cesspool of Democrats’ failed policies,” he continued.