Of the 81 senators who voted against a new crime code for the capital, 33 were Democrats including the Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Several Democratic senators cited Bowser's issues with the bill as justification for their own disapproval.
"What we've heard from the mayor of D.C. is there's more work to be done," Stabenow said. Senators Kaine and Warner urged the mayor and council"to work together to create a safer city for all." Violent crime had been slowly falling in the capital in recent decades, but the rate of homicides had risen for four consecutive years to 2021, before dropping slightly in 2022. There have so far been 40 homicides in 2023, according to Metropolitan Police Department statistics, putting it on track for a further rise this year.
The new criminal code would have gotten rid of mandatory minimum sentences for certain crimes, and would have reduced the maximum penalties that could be given for crimes such as burglary, carjacking and robbery. In a statement released following the Senate vote, Brian Schwalb, D.C.'s attorney general, said it had been"taken by federal politicians elected hundreds of miles away, violating the basic principles of self-governance and the spirit of Home Rule.
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