Representative Andrew Clyde (GA-09) has introduced the Commonsense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now (CLEAN) in D.C. Act, aiming to repeal the District of Columbia City Council’s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2022. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has brought forward companion legislation in the Senate.
This legislative effort follows a previous attempt by Rep. Clyde in 2023 with H.J.Res. 42, which sought to block the same D.C. Council law. That resolution passed both chambers of Congress but was vetoed by President Biden.
“Congress must once again exercise our constitutional authority to repeal the D.C. City Council’s anti-police law that has recklessly put criminals first and our men and women in blue last,” said Clyde. “Unlike Joe Biden — who vetoed this commonsense legislation in 2023, President Trump stands for law and order. Sending the CLEAN D.C. Act to President Trump’s desk will further bolster his successful efforts to make our nation’s capital safe again for the American people. I thank Senator Cruz for leading this critical bill in the Senate, and I urge our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to put public safety over politics by supporting our efforts to repeal the D.C. Council’s severely misguided law.”
Senator Cruz stated, “Violent crime has become endemic in Washington D.C. as a direct result of political and ideological decisions made by Democrats. Those decisions included passing and trying to lock in anti-police measures such as the Orwellian-named Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, which undermined police morale, weakened officer retention, and contributed to a still-ongoing public safety disaster. The CLEAN D.C. Act will reverse that decision, and I call upon my colleagues in Congress to pass it.”
The CLEAN D.C. Act is supported by organizations including the D.C. Police Union and the Fraternal Order of Police.
D.C. Police Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton commented: “The D.C. Police Union, representing 3,000 dedicated officers of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), expresses profound gratitude to Congressman Andrew Clyde for his steadfast leadership in introducing legislation in Congress to repeal the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act, a misguided and harmful law that has plagued our city’s public safety since its enactment,” said Pemberton.“This new repeal effort is a critical step toward restoring common-sense law enforcement in our Nation’s Capital.The Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act has not reformed anything,it has enabled lawlessness,endangered officers and their families,and driven away the very professionals needed to keep D.C.safe.We urge all members of Congress to pass this repeal with the same bipartisan resolve shown in 2023,and we call on the President to sign it into law.Our city cannot afford another day of this failed experiment.”
The original co-sponsors for Rep. Clyde’s bill include twenty-seven other House members from various states.
According to information from recent elections, Andrew Clyde secured victory against Tambrei Cash during the 2024 general election with nearly seventy percent of votes cast; he also won previous contests against Michael Ford in 2022 with over seventy-two percent support, as well as defeating Devin Pandy decisively during his initial run for office in 2020.
Supporters argue that provisions within the current D.C.-enacted policing reform ban established police tactics, remove legal protections for officers, threaten officer safety through record disclosures, and restrict crowd control methods—factors they say have contributed negatively toward staffing levels within local law enforcement agencies.
