House Subcommittee Hears Support and Concerns for HR 5103 to Codify "DC Safe and Beautiful" Policy

Chairman Tiffany opened the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands by pressing the hearing’s central theme: rising violent crime, vandalism and homeless encampments on federal parkland in Washington, D.C., and a proposal to codify the administration’s approach. The subcommittee heard testimony and argument both for HR 5103 — which would codify Executive Order 14252 and create a District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission — and against steps members said could impinge on local authority.

The Department of the Interior’s witness, Robert McClain, director of the Office of Law Enforcement and Security, said the department supports HR 5103 because it “advances a shared goal, ensuring the nation’s capital is clean, safe, and beautiful” and that codifying the executive order would allow DOI to “plan more effectively and invest in long term strategies to work with others to restore and maintain the nation’s…