A police officer outside the U.S. Capitol in August 2025. (Getty Images)
It comes after President Donald Trump federalized the Washington, D.C., police force and deployed federal troops to the capital city in a bid to end violent crime. He's now eyeing National Guard deployments in other cities across the country, though the idea has been met with criticism by Democrats.
The House Oversight Committee is slated to advance several bills dealing with D.C. criminal sentencing this week, which will likely get full House votes in the coming months.
Scalise's comments suggest that while lawmakers are currently focused on overhauling Washington, D.C.'s criminal policies, it's possible they could turn to the rest of the country at some point as well.
TRUMP CLAIMS 'WE'RE AGAINST CRIME. DEMOCRATS LIKE CRIME'
Trump similarly signaled last month that he wanted to see a bill dealing with crime across the U.S.
"Speaker Mike Johnson, and Leader John Thune, are working with me, and other Republicans, on a Comprehensive Crime Bill. It’s what our Country needs," he wrote on Truth Social.
President Donald Trump visits the U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility on Aug. 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Scalise, meanwhile, said at the press conference that Democrats "want crime to continue."
"They want to continue defunding the police and try to have it both ways. And President Trump is tired of that game, because he's tired of watching people be hurt. There's no reason for this violent crime wave that we see in so many cities," Scalise said.
"So we're going to continue to have the president's back and, frankly, have the American people's back, regardless of their party, regardless of what city they live in. Everybody deserves to be safe, and Republicans are going to continue to push policies to help put that in place."
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scalise-hints-gop-may-push-nationwide-crime-crackdown-after-dc-overhaul