The start of the new Trump administration has shown they are willing to move fast and break things. Governance norms are being thrown out the window. They are making moves that will please their base, regardless of effectiveness or legality. Unfortunately for DC, laws get reviewed by congress. Home Rule gives congress the final say in what we can and cannot due. In recent years there has been increased scrutiny from GOP reps, especially regarding crime. Currently, the focus of the Trump administration and congress is focused on national projects, and passing big ticket legislation items to allow Trump to execute his agenda. That does not mean focus could not quickly shift to punching down on DC if something raises their ire or if local legislation jumps to their attention and attacking it earns points with their base.
DC’s Mayor and council needs to be aware of this new dynamic and tread carefully. I was already thinking about this issue when I saw this news release from CM Lewis George “Today, I’m reintroducing the Green New Deal for a Lead-Free DC Act. Replacing lead pipes is an environmental and racial justice imperative. This bill accelerates DC’s lead pipe replacement timeline, at the same time creating dozens of green jobs.” This looks like a good bill! We should be working on replacing the lead pipes in our city. But this language will be a non-starter with this current administration. Good legislation will be shot down by congress purely because of the language used. The bill should simply be “Lead-Free DC Act” with descriptions of environmental and racial justice removed. If executed correctly, we will still be addressing those topics, but explicitly spelling it out is inviting interference.
This is just one example, but until the midterm election, depending on the results, DC leadership should be extremely careful. They still may come after the city purely because they can, but inviting their attention seems foolish. Outside of new legislation, the actions of our executive agencies are crucial. Scandals of fraud or corruption, incompetence that causes newsworthy issues to arise all need to be avoided. And the biggest and most difficult issue, crime. One multi released felon harming some random GOP staffer will see the swiftest erosion in our rights as DC residents.
Our elected leaders treating this like the first Trump admin, or that there is no interest in interfering with low level policy decisions are in for a rude awakening. To maintain the great programs the city provides, the ability to elect our leaders, and live in a city that reflects the majority of its citizens values, DC’s leadership must govern with an adjusted vision and realization that the stakes and scrutiny has never been higher.