Reserved for the Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1131, I call up the bill (H.R. 5103) to establish a program to Beautify the District of Columbia and establish the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I support the Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act of 2025, which codifies core components of President Trump's Executive Order No. 14252 titled: ``Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful.''

Our Nation's Capital is a direct reflection of our great country and should be a symbol of pride for the American people and a safe and beautiful location for all who reside and visit. Violent crime in Washington, D.C., has been far too high for far too long.

The Oversight and Government Reform Committee's investigation into D.C. crime has shown that lawlessness and violence on D.C.'s streets are not an inevitability. It is a policy choice.

Specifically, we show that D.C. leadership pressured and, at times, directed police commanders to manipulate crime data in order to maintain the appearance of low crime in the Nation's Capital.

You have to ask yourself: Why would the Democratic D.C. Council do that? They sought to deceive the American people because their misguided policies hurt American citizens.

Unfortunately, years of soft-on-crime policies have turned Washington, D.C., into a city with high crime rates, rampant homelessness, and graffiti on historic buildings and monuments. Symbols of our great Nation, such as the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the World War II Memorial, have all been vandalized and defaced over the years.

President Trump and congressional Republicans are tackling crime in Washington, D.C., head-on.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5103 establishes the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission, made up of key Federal law enforcement and other Federal partners, to focus on ensuring the safety of District residents and visitors through full enforcement of Federal and local laws in the District.

The commission will develop recommendations on how to prioritize the safety of the District's residents and visitors. This bill also requires the development and implementation of a D.C. beautification plan.

Key Federal and local leaders will be tasked--I will repeat that one. Key Federal and local leaders will be tasked with coordinating the cleanliness of the District's facilities, infrastructure, and parks. These leaders will also work to restore Federal public monuments, statues, markers, and similar properties that have been defaced.

Every day, my constituents from Virginia's Fifth Congressional District visit D.C. for work, travel, and my office coordinates tours for them. My constituents, as well as all who work or live in or travel to D.C., should feel safe while walking down the street.

Today, congressional Republicans will again show that we are the party

of law and order by voting in support of H.R. 5103.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, there was a great debate in 1790 with Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison. Many here may remember the play ``Hamilton.'' At the end of the day, they came up with the idea of having Washington, D.C. At the time, they wanted the seat of Federal Government to be in Pennsylvania or in New York. What that would have done is that would have given us a superstate where all of the money and all of the priorities would have gone.

Maryland ceded a little bit of land, Virginia ceded a little bit of land, and we came up with Washington, D.C.

Under Article I, Section 8, Clause 17, we are Congress, and we, by the Constitution, have complete authority over Washington, D.C. It is not a State, because if it was, it would be a superstate, which would have all of the money and all of the power for the country, and it would take away voices from the other States.

Now, as I have been in Congress for 14 months, I have been around the District of Columbia talking with law enforcement and people that have lived here for years. In just 14 months and into the first year of President Trump's term, I have a lot of anecdotes.

I ran into a young woman, who went into a Subway, and a homeless woman said: Let me get the door for you. So the homeless woman opened the door. As she walked in, this woman punched her in the back of the head, nearly knocked her out. When she came to, that woman that knocked her out went to jail. She got a phone call just a few hours later from a detective saying: Hey, we put that woman back on the street, but don't worry, she is not going to harm anyone.

It seems like the policies coming out of the D.C. Council indicate to the American citizens visiting and living here that police are bad, criminals are good, and nobody cares about the victim. They have made a mockery of the criminal justice system.

Again, that authority is Congress, and this bill codifies that.

My bill codifies many elements of President Trump's successful executive order until 2029, ensuring there isn't a backslide into lawlessness in the city.

I had a young woman come up to me and say: I walk my dog at 8 p.m. I didn't understand what that meant. What she then said is: 2 years ago, I would not walk my dog in the dark. That is just in 14 months, and we need to codify that.

This bill is not partisan. It is common sense. Whether you are Democrat, Republican, Independent, we are all Americans, and I think we all want to live, work, and raise our family in peace. It should be nonpartisan. Wanting our Nation's Capital to be safe and beautiful, again, is not political. It is in the best interests of all who travel to and call D.C. their home.

When people come to Washington, D.C., they are not just visiting a city. They are visiting our Nation's Capital, the greatest country with the greatest people in the history of Earth. We may not be perfect, but we have lifted more people out of poverty, given more people freedom, and given more people opportunity than any country on Earth. Even in our worst days, everyone around the world wants to come to America because of our freedom.

What they see in The National Mall, the memorials, in our parks, and transit quarters shapes their pride and our shared heritage. If those spaces aren't clean, safe, and cared for, we all feel it--residents, commuters, small businesses, and millions of visitors who power D.C.'s local economy. When people visit D.C., they should feel safe

while taking in the scenery and historic landmarks, not scared to walk two blocks because of the crime or confronted with a homeless encampment while walking on The National Mall.

One young staffer told me that she takes an Uber if she has to walk more than two blocks, but in the last 14 months she now walks 20 minutes to work. So, we are making progress, and we need to codify that.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 6 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, reckless D.C. Council policies have caused citizens from all over the United States and in D.C. to be robbed, raped, and murdered. They are reckless. They are not getting the job done, which is why we need to do this bill.

In the Oversight Committee we pointed that out. Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia Chief Pamela Smith actually resigned immediately following the release of the Oversight Committee's report. Why would they cover up these crimes? It is to trick the American people so they don't understand how bad their policies are.

In 2023, there were 274 homicides in D.C., a 20-year high.

In 2024, D.C. had the fourth highest homicide rate in the country.

While these crime statistics are troubling on their own, they significantly understate the level of crime in the D.C. area.

Last year, an investigation into D.C.'s crime statistics by the Oversight Committee revealed that D.C. leadership pressured and at times manipulated crime statistics to maintain the appearance of low crime in our Nation's Capital. This pressure demoralized the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department making the city less safe.

President Trump's crackdown on violent crime in D.C. last year resulted in a significant drop in crime and increased arrests.

My bill, H.R. 5103, facilitates the deployment of more robust Federal law enforcement presence in D.C. in coordination with local law enforcement, providing vital support to ensure that both Federal and local laws are being followed to keep D.C. safe.

Now, sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals. If you are a criminal, would you rather go to a city where local and Federal police authorities cooperate, communicate, and work as a team, or would you rather go to one where they don't work as a team? They have not been working as a team in D.C., and it is causing people to die.

That is unacceptable.

On the concealed carry permit aspect of the bill, D.C. has some of the most complicated and strict gun laws in the country.

Law-abiding residents who wish to protect themselves and their loved ones are forced to wait 4 months on average for a concealed carry permit appointment. This is unacceptable and, frankly, infringes on their Second Amendment rights, which are enshrined in our founding documents.

Criminals don't care about the law.

My bill establishes the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission which will collaborate with appropriate local government entities to speed up and reduce the cost of D.C.'s concealed carry permit process.

Criminals do not care about the law. You can create whatever law you want and try to get guns out of D.C. The criminals do not care. They are always going to get a gun, and you are making law-abiding citizens helpless victims.

The only people who are affected by D.C.'s complicated process are law-abiding residents. Streamlining concealed carry permits will decrease crime by allowing law-abiding citizens to better protect themselves and their families.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, crime statistics coming from the other side, obviously, I can't see them being reliable, especially as a member of the Oversight Committee. We talked about the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. Chief Pamela Smith resigned immediately following the release of the Oversight Committee report, where they had a clear coverup on crimes to make it look like D.C. crime is not accurate.

Since President Trump's Federal enforcement action, the D.C. crime, especially violent crimes, has truly drastically decreased. Carjackings have dropped 87 percent. This is proof that increased Federal and local cooperation is essential to reducing crime in D.C.

Again, if you are a criminal, Mr. Speaker, you would rather go to a city where they don't cooperate, communicate, and work as a team. We are ensuring that they cooperate, communicate, and work as a team, and they will be less attracted to D.C.

Mayor Bowser herself stated that she appreciated the surge of Federal law enforcement officers as it enhanced the Metropolitan Police Department's law enforcement efforts. In contrast, the D.C. Council has proven time and time again that they prioritize dangerous criminals over the law-abiding residents of D.C. and the thousands of tourists who visit our Nation's Capital every day.

My bill will ensure coordination between Federal and local law enforcement continues, providing local police the additional Federal resources and personnel they need to combat crime in the District.

Again, on the concealed carry permit, nowhere in the United States do you have to wait 4 months, Mr. Speaker. That is an infringement on our Second Amendment, for whatever excuse they have.

Thankfully, not only is President Trump making America great again, he is making Washington, D.C., great again.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues, my friends on the other side, will consider the priority of the safety of American citizens in D.C. and the rest of the country, and keep the city that represents our great Nation safe and beautiful.

Under Article I, Section 8, Clause 17, Congress has a constitutional duty to ensure the District of Columbia is safe, secure, and beautiful.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly oppose this bill. I include in the Record letters opposing this bill from the District of Columbia Mayor and every member of the D.C. Council.

September 10, 2025.

Hon. James Comer,

Chairman, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Robert Garcia,

Ranking Member, House Committee on Oversight and Government

Reform, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Comer and Ranking Member Garcia: As Mayor and

Chief Executive Officer of the District of Columbia, I am

proud of the work we have accomplished to invest in our

people, strengthen our neighborhoods, and drive down crime.

Building on this progress, my Administration established the

Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center to coordinate

public safety and beautification efforts as the presidential

emergency declaration ends. This structure ensures that DC

will remain proactive--bringing together local and federal

partners to sustain momentum on reducing crime and improving

quality of life for every resident.

We have worked collaboratively with this Committee on

shared priorities, including public safety, the federal

Return to Work, implementing a DC budget Fiscal Year 2025 fix

(which is still pending in the House) and revitalizing the

RFK campus; but I write now to ask you to reject 13 of the DC

bills before you today that encroach on DC's Home Rule:

Bills like H.R. 5183, the District of Columbia Home Rule

Improvement Act, make the District less efficient,

competitive, and responsive to the needs of a highly complex

unique local government that serves local, county and state

functions. Bogging down legislative and executive action only

adds costs and uncertainty, making it more difficult to

handle the economic headwinds and growth opportunities ahead.

Bills like H.R. 5214, the District of Columbia Cash Bail

Reform Act, make DC less safe. Replacing our very effective

pre-trial detention regime, which focuses on charged violent

offenses and repeat violent offenders, not just on cash bail.

I credit recent changes to our laws related to pre-trial

detention for helping to drive down violent crime in the last

two years.

And the bills to abolish the Judicial Nominations

Commission and to convert the elected DC Attorney General to

a Presidentially appointed legal officer for the District are

both less democratic and untenable for District operations.

The Judicial Nomination Commission, with seven members

appointed by the Mayor, DC Council, President, US District

Court for DC, and the DC Bar, works. As recently as last

month, President Trump nominated three federal judicial

nominees who were selected from the Commission's candidate

pool--a process that demonstrates the value of maintaining

local input. DC residents also voted to elect an Attorney

General who represents the public interest. Changes to these

charter agencies would significantly undercut the already

thin ties to autonomy that limited home rule provides.

Finally, I urge you not to up end our three-part education

funding SOAR Act. I have long supported the program to expand

opportunity for DC students. However, my support has always

been contingent on parity among all three education sectors--

public, private, and charter--and this approach is working.

We will not support changes that tip the scales away from

this core principle of fairness for DC families. As the

fastest improving urban school system, DC has become a model

for urban education. We outpace the national average on all

tested subject areas. We boast free, full-day Pre-K access

serving more than 13,200 young learners--an investment which

supports our children and our workforce. DC ranked top of the

nation in parental satisfaction regarding school choice.

Mayoral control, council oversight, and deep, targeted

investments in our students, teachers, and buildings made

these remarkable achievements possible.

I look forward to continuing a productive partnership with

the Committee--one that respects the will of DC residents and

honors the principles of home rule. Together, we can build on

our successes while protecting the autonomy that, as history

reflects, has made our city stronger.

Sincerely,

Muriel Bowser,

Mayor.

Mr. Speaker, D.C. is a world-class city, yet this bill seeks to codify and encourage President Trump's efforts to control and transform D.C., as well as to demonize D.C. and its 700,000 residents, the majority of whom are Black and Brown. President Trump already has called for the repeal of D.C. home rule, federalized the D.C. police department, deployed troops and masked Federal agents on D.C.'s streets, terrorized immigrants in D.C., demolished the East Wing of the White House, removed the nonprofit managing the public golf courses in D.C., and announced the closure of the Kennedy Center. This bill will only embolden him.

This bill would establish in the executive branch the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Commission. The commission's responsibilities include increasing civil immigration enforcement in D.C., deploying more Federal law enforcement officers in D.C., and increasing the number of people carrying guns in D.C.

The commission's top priority is to increase civil immigration enforcement in D.C. Specifically, the commission is required to ensure the ``maximum enforcement of Federal immigration law within the District of Columbia, including policies to encourage the redirection of available Federal, State, or local law enforcement resources to apprehend and deport illegal aliens,'' and to monitor D.C.'s ``compliance with the enforcement of Federal immigration law.'' The commission is also

required to facilitate the ``deployment of a more robust Federal law enforcement presence'' in D.C. and to ``increase the speed and lower the costs of processing concealed carry'' permits in D.C.

However, D.C. does not want masked Federal agents terrorizing communities, separating families, and destroying the community trust needed for effective local policing or more guns on the streets.

This bill would also require the Secretary of the Interior to ``develop a program to beautify'' D.C., even though D.C. is already one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

This Congress, Republicans have filed over 100 bills, amendments, and riders to repeal, amend, or block D.C. from carrying out local laws and policies. The House has already passed 10 of those bills.

D.C. residents have all the obligations of American citizenship, including paying Federal taxes, serving on juries, and registering with the Selective Service, yet Congress denies them full local self- government and voting representation in Congress. The only solution to this undemocratic treatment is to grant D.C. statehood.

Congress has the authority to admit D.C. as a State. The D.C. statehood bill, H.R. 51, would reduce the size of the Federal district from 68 square miles to 2 square miles, consisting of the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, and The National Mall. The residential and commercial areas of D.C. would be a new State.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 5103.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter opposing this bill from Brady United Against Gun Violence.

March 25, 2026.

Dear Members of the U.S. House of Representatives: Founded

in 1974, Brady works across Congress, courts, and

communities, uniting gun owners and non-gun owners alike, to

take action, not sides, and end America's gun violence

epidemic. Our organization today carries the name of Jim and

Sarah Brady. As you know, Jim was shot and severely injured

in the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. As

victims of gun violence and life-long gun owners, Jim and

Sarah dedicated the rest of their lives to passing federal

legislation requiring background checks for gun sales. Brady

continues to uphold Jim and Sarah's legacy by uniting

Americans from coast to coast, red and blue, young and old,

liberal and conservative, to combat the epidemic of gun

violence.

This week, the House will consider the Make the District of

Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act of 2026 (H.R. 5 103), which

establishes in the federal executive branch the District of

Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission, consisting entirely

of federal officials. This bill is yet another example of

federal overreach into the affairs of the District's

residents, imposing unnecessary and unwanted criminal and

civil reforms. Most egregiously, the bill would direct the

commission to seek to ``increase the speed and lower the cost

of processing concealed carry license requests in the

District of Columbia.'' Brady stands in strong opposition to

H.R. 5103 and urges Members to oppose this dangerous

overreach of federal authority over the District of Columbia

and its residents.

Every American should have a say in how they can best

prevent gun violence and violent crime in their own

communities; that is at the very core of the system of

federalism our founding fathers fought a revolution to

create. Yet, when it comes to efforts to pass public safety

laws, citizens of our nation's capital are often at the mercy

of federal legislators with little interest in their needs,

and attempts by the District's leaders to keep their

communities safe are continuously tossed aside by lawmakers

with no stake in those communities.

The District's residents are among the only Americans who

bear all the responsibilities of citizenship without fully

realizing their benefits. The District has a population

larger than two states that enjoy full representation in

Congress. D.C. residents pay higher taxes than residents in

all but 2 states and have the highest per capita federal tax

rate in the nation. Yet, D.C. Home Rule is limited--Congress

has the power to review and block local legislation, impose

their own legislative prerogatives, control the budget, and

appoint judges.

The District of Columbia, guided by interest in preserving

public safety for its residents and visitors, has implemented

a concealed firearm carry licensing process that ensures

prospective licensees meet the necessary legal requirements

for firearm and concealed carry possession, including the

completion of an MPD-approved range training, within the

District. Under H.R 5103, the federal government would meddle

with the District's laws regarding who can carry concealed

handguns in public, undermining its ability to enforce laws

in service of public safety.

District residents deserve autonomy over their home and

over how they choose to combat violent crime. The federal

government should not abuse its oversight of the District of

Columbia to interfere with home rule policies and practices.

As such, Brady calls on Members to oppose H.R. 5103 and any

other bill that restricts the autonomy of the District of

Columbia or overrides the District's criminal justice laws.

Best regards,

Mark A. Collins,

Director, Federal Policy.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the so-called Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act. This is yet another example of the majority wasting our time here, dictating local decisions in D.C., instead of doing our jobs focusing on the real issues affecting the American people.

As we speak, President Trump has us engaged in an unconstitutional, reckless war with Iran. Gas prices are at $4 a gallon. TSA lines are approaching 4 hours. Republicans have stripped healthcare from millions of Americans while giving big tax cuts to billionaires. Masked Federal agents have killed Americans on our streets.

So what legislation do Republicans bring to the floor today? Legislation to bring down the high costs that American families are struggling with? No. Legislation to address the healthcare crisis and the fact that in our own Commonwealth of Virginia, nine rural hospitals are at risk of closing? No. This is a bill to further the President's seeming desire to make himself the king of the District of Columbia.

In this Congress, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has spent a lot of time meddling in local D.C. matters and none holding the Trump administration accountable for corruption, its coverup of the Epstein files, and for the failure to deliver the lower costs that the President promised.

If President Trump wants to run the District of Columbia, he should resign from the Presidency and run for Mayor. I think there is an opening.

If congressional Republicans want to micromanage the District of Columbia, they should resign from Congress and run for the D.C. Council.

Let's talk specifically about the bill in front of us on which it is important to note the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has not held a single hearing. The bill creates a Federal commission to oversee the District of Columbia, with mass deportation as its first priority. The commission is required to develop policies to ``direct the maximum enforcement of Federal immigration law within the District of Columbia, including policies to encourage the redirection of available Federal, State, or local law enforcement resources to apprehend and deport illegal aliens.''

It is to redirect law enforcement. Redirect law enforcement from the worst of the worst and, presumably, toward detaining more hardworking folks and children on top of the thousands of children that this administration has detained.

At the same time, the commission is required to support efforts to speed up and lower the costs of concealed carry permits in D.C., increasing the risk of gun violence.

My friend, the gentleman from Virginia, talked about crime in the District of Columbia. It is true that violent crime across this country spiked during President Trump's first term, but the good news is that it is way down in D.C. today. In fact, violent crime is at a 40-year low. Now, one crime is one crime too many, but it is at a 40-year low in the District of Columbia today. In fact, dozens of cities in red States, represented by my friends on the other side of the aisle, have higher violent crime rates than the District of Columbia.

The bill also requires the Secretary of the Interior to ``develop a program to beautify the District of Columbia.''

As a former member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, I know a little bit about efforts to improve quality of life within local communities in partnership with those communities, and that is not what this bill does. The so-called beautification project is not intended to improve the lives of the 700,000 people who call D.C. home. It is an instruction to the Secretary of the Interior and the commission to transform D.C. into Mar-a-Lago on the Potomac for President Trump's benefit.

If my friends on the other side were serious about making D.C. safer and more beautiful, they wouldn't have blocked the District from spending its own tax revenue last year. They blocked the use of $1 billion in local D.C. funds, funds that could have gone towards locally-directed efforts that would have made D.C. safer and more beautiful for its residents.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this legislation and instead support efforts that respect local officials here in D.C. and across the country who work to make our communities safer and more beautiful.

D.C. residents are among the only Americans who have all the responsibilities of citizenship in this country but don't enjoy all the benefits. If Republicans want to legislate on D.C. matters, let's pass D.C. statehood and give them all the benefits of citizenship.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I hear my friends on the other side often talking about the constitutional authority that this Congress has to legislate with respect to the District of Columbia, and I would make two points.

One, I think the question isn't can we. The question is should we. Should we substitute our judgment based on the anecdotes we might have heard for the judgment of the District of Columbia's elected representatives who are connected to their communities each and every day and if they aren't responsive to those communities can be unelected by those communities.

I would submit that they are in a better position than us to determine the policies for the District of Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), an elected Representative of the District of Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

With respect to the concealed carry permit and streamlining the process, one of the aspects of the District's process that does take a little bit of time is the requirement for range training. I suspect that what the gentleman means when he says he wants to streamline the process for concealed carry permits in D.C. is he wants folks to have a concealed carry permit without completing range training. I know some people have that philosophy. I don't think that would make the District of Columbia safer.

With respect to the crime data manipulation, as the gentleman noted, last year the Republicans on the Oversight Committee investigated alleged crime data manipulation in D.C. By the way, it is the same crime data that today they and President Trump celebrate as he claims to have eliminated violent crime in the District of Columbia.

The investigation backfired on my Republican friends almost as soon as it began, thanks in large part to the testimony of every one of the eight current and former D.C. police commanders who sat down for transcribed interviews. That investigation proved, I think, not what they hoped it would prove.

The evidence was that President Trump was not telling the truth and is not telling the truth about crime in D.C. to justify his federalization of the D.C. police and deployment of troops on D.C. streets. It undermined Republican attacks on home rule by showing that D.C. was successfully reducing crime before the Federal intervention.

Every single one of those commanders testified that D.C. was experiencing a sustained decrease in crime over 2 years, well before President Trump's administration. Commander after commander testified that the data recording this trend wasn't manipulated. In fact, it was the very data they were using every day to help successfully drive down crime.

With respect to the argument that President Trump has made D.C. safer, in 2024, the year before President Trump began his second term, violent crime in D.C. was down 35 percent, a 30-year low. In 2025, it was down 29 percent, which is smaller than 35 percent, so the reduction in crime slowed down after President Trump's intervention.

As I noted before, homicides in D.C. and across the country did spike during President Trump's first term, but they have been falling for years, and the reduction in homicides in D.C. began before President Trump's second term.

We heard some anecdotes that the gentleman has heard from his staff and others. According to a poll conducted by The Washington Post, 80 percent of D.C. residents opposed President Trump's federalization of the D.C. police department and the deployment of the National Guard and Federal law enforcement in D.C. They disagree with the majority's view that President Trump and Federal troops have made D.C. safer.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, $4 a gallon gas, 4-hour waits at TSA lines, millions of Americans losing their healthcare, rural hospitals set to close, and tariffs driving up costs for hardworking American families. Those are the challenges that our constituents across the country are facing. Those are the challenges that we here as Members of Congress are supposed to address, yet we are meddling in the District of Columbia's affairs.

Let's do our job in this Congress and work together to bring down costs for the American people. Let the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the District council do their jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5103, the Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act of 2026.

For this reason, and at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee.

If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill. My amendment would stop unethical donations for Federal Government projects to alter any public property, building, or fixture at the White House, the Naval Observatory, or other public property locations primarily used by the President and the Vice President.

During the longest shutdown in our Nation's history, the Trump administration clearly showed the American people where its priorities lay and began demolishing the 123-year-old East Wing to build a gilded ballroom similar to that of his private billionaires' club at Mar-a- Lago.

Not only does the demolition undermine historical preservation without a public review process, but it also constitutes another ethical violation by the administration, as private donors fund the construction without input from the National Park Service.

This bill is just one in a series of the majority's and this administration's misguided priorities, whereby their answer to solving our immigration problems is advancing policies that would subject the District and cities across the Nation to a brutal and indiscriminate crackdown on immigrant communities.

While stating that he would go after ``the worst of the worst,'' the President has, instead, targeted families, permanent residents, refugees, students, and asylum seekers. Instead of taking actions that make us safer, the administration has opted for showy displays of force, all to jack up his detention and deportation numbers.

The Trump administration, in its relentless drive to use ICE and Customs and Border Patrol as an instrument of cruelty toward immigrant communities, has abandoned the Department of Homeland Security's core mission of keeping the homeland safe.

Hundreds of intelligence officers with DHS' intelligence office have been directed to focus on immigration enforcement, resulting in fewer intelligence briefs reaching local officials and police departments.

At a time when the President has dragged us into his war of choice with Iran, which puts our servicemembers in harm's way with no clear long-term strategy, we absolutely cannot afford to leave ourselves so vulnerable to attack.

With gas prices now on the rise and the cost of groceries, rent, and utilities skyrocketing for millions, we are left to question why this administration would rather pursue vanity projects and its campaign of terror than deliver on the promises it made to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 5103. As a proud cosponsor of H.R. 5103, I stand with Representative McGuire and my Republican colleagues to deliver on President Trump's vision for our Nation's capital. This bill codifies Executive Order 14252 and turns words into law to make Washington, D.C., safe, clean, and beautiful once again.

The bill creates the bipartisan ``District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission,'' comprising federal law enforcement leaders from DHS, the FBI, ATF, the U.S. Marshals, and the U.S. Attorneys for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. This commission will work directly with D.C. officials to crack down on crime, enforce federal immigration law, and support the Metropolitan Police Department. American taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize lawlessness in the seat of our government.

This legislation also directs the Department of the Interior to launch a comprehensive beautification program to clean up monuments, memorials, parks, sidewalks, highways, and public spaces. Our capital should reflect American pride and history, not graffiti and decay.

Both the Commission and the beautification program sunset on January 2, 2029, ensuring focused action and regular congressional oversight through required progress reports. This is targeted, time-limited leadership, not another permanent bureaucracy.

As the seat of our federal government and a symbol to the world, Washington, D.C., must be safe for tourists, workers, residents, and Members of Congress alike. Crime, filth, and disrespect for our monuments undermine national morale and our global image. H.R. 5103 fixes that.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5103 today. Let's show the American people that we are delivering on law and order and restoring the beauty and dignity of our Nation's capital.