The House voted Wednesday to stop the Washington police accountability bill taking effect. This is the second time in this year the chamber has acted to prevent legislation in Washington.

The chamber passed the resolution of disapproval with a vote of 229 to 189.

Fourteen Democrats voted along with Republicans in support of the measure. They are: Nikki Budzinski, Angie Craig, Henry Cuellar, Don Davis, Jasmine Golden (Maine), Josh Gottheimer N.J. Susie Lee Nevada Wiley Nickel California Jimmy Panetta Chris Pappas N.H. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Washington Pat Ryan N.Y. Kim Schrier Washington and Eric Sorensen Illinois

The Senate will now consider the disapproval measure, but its future is still uncertain. The Biden administration said that even if the Senate approves the measure and forwards it to White House, President Obama would still veto any resolution.

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The vote was held just weeks after Congress blocked D.C.’s revised Criminal Code from going into effect. This move excited Republicans, but also divided Democrats – some of whom felt frustrated with the way that process unfolded.

The Republican strategy is to use the disapproval resolutions as a way to bring attention to crime in the U.S. This was a major issue for voters during the midterm elections of 2022. These votes put Democrats on record, causing some moderates vote against them and allowing GOP legislators to label those who are opposed as soft on crime.

The bill passed on Wednesday was aimed at a police accountability law — named the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act, which the D.C. Council had approved in December. The law has not yet been implemented.

The D.C. measure will permanently implement some reforms the city implemented on a temporary base following the death of George Floyd in 2019. It limits searches by police based on consent rather than a warrant. It also restricts nonlethal weapons used to try to reduce riots. Civilians are added to the disciplinary review board.

D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser did not sign the legislation or veto it. In the capital, laws can be passed without the signature of the mayor. The legislation is expected to take effect next month. Under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act however, Congress has the right to disapprove any laws that are passed in the city.

Bowser didn’t sign or veto this measure. However, she wrote to the House and Senate leadership last month to oppose the House Republicans’ attempt to block the Policing Bill.

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga. — the sponsoring of the disapproval measure — said that his measure was “essential” to increase public safety as well as combat the rising crime rate in the nation’s capital.

He criticised the D.C. law that prevents officers from viewing their body camera footage to assist in writing initial reports, and requires the mayor to release publicly the names of any officers involved in situations of excessive violence.

The D.C. Police force is at an all-time low. Clyde, speaking on Wednesday during a House debate, said that the D.C. Council’s misguided law has undoubtedly driven away the men and women who protect us.

D.C. Police chief Robert J. Contee III said to lawmakers last month that D.C. Police is currently “at the lowest staffing levels” in the last 50 years.

He added, “We must stand united to support [Metropolitan Police Department] and restore law and order in Washington through blocking the D.C. Council legislation.”

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents D.C. at the U.S. Congress, called it a “deeply undemocratic and paternalistic measure” during Wednesday’s debate in the House.

Holmes Norton stated that “the House of Representatives is trying to invalidate legislation passed by the local D.C. legislature, whose members were elected by D.C. citizens,” he said. “By scheduling the vote, I can conclude that Republican leadership believes D.C. Residents — a majority who are Black and Brown — are not worthy of being able to govern themselves,” Holmes Norton said.

In a Statement of Administration Policy published on Monday, the Office of Management and Budget stated that, while Biden does not “support every provision” of D.C. Council bill, he “will not support Republican efforts to overturn reasonable police reforms, such as: banning the use of chokeholds, limiting the use of deadly force, improving access to recordings made by body-worn cameras, and requiring officers to receive training in de-escalation and the use of force.”

The administration paid homage also to D.C. Home Rule which is the notion that D.C. Residents have the right of control over local affairs.

The statement states that Congress should respect the District of Columbia’s right to adopt measures that improve public security and public confidence.

House Republicans have brought a resolution of disapproval for the policing law to the floor, after winning a victory on a measure last month that blocked the revised criminal code in the city. The D.C. Crime Bill would have reduced penalties for certain violent crimes and eliminated many mandatory sentences.

In February, the Biden administration said that it opposed the attempt to block the crime bill for the capital city. This led 173 House Democrats oppose the resolution of disapproval. The administration did not issue a threat of veto.

Biden announced in March that he would not veto a disapproval resolution shortly before the Senate vote. This led some House Democrats, who were blindsided by this apparent flip-flop, to be surprised. Biden then signed the law after the Senate approved it with 33 Democrats’ support.