Lawmakers Push to Revoke DC Home Rule Authority

Republican lawmakers Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Andy Ogles have proposed the 'Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident' (BOWSER) Act, aimed at repealing the District of Columbia's Home Rule Act. The bill criticizes the D.C. government for alleged failures in preventing crime and corruption, and allowing non-citizens to vote, which they argue has led to mismanagement. The proposed legislation would remove D.C.'s local self-governing powers and give control back to Congress, a move that some see as undermining the city's autonomy. Critics of the bill, including D.C. Representative Oye Owolewa, describe it as an attack on the district's self-determination. If enacted, the BOWSER Act would eliminate D.C.'s home rule one year after its passage, without specifying a transition plan for governing the city. This initiative reflects ongoing tensions between federal oversight and local governance in the nation's capital.