President Donald Trump brazenly attacked D.C. autonomy and moved to militarize the District. He invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 to take over the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The public safety emergency declaration happened so abruptly on August 11, 2025 that his own aides didn’t know how long he would invoke his authority. He declared it “DC Liberation Day” but it is trampling on residents’ rights.
This is consistent with ineffective and violent policy responses of the past. “There’s a problem with homelessness;” “let’s clear the encampments with the threat of force;” “Crime is happening;” “more and militarized police;” “People struggle with addiction;” “let’s respond with police and state violence.” Whatever the problem or root cause of larger issues the government response seems to always be “let’s use a gun!”
This fits with Trump’s philosophy. He wants to use the death penalty more often and paid for a full-page ad in 1989 urging the execution of teenagers for a crime they didn’t commit.
Under the Home Rule Act, by issuing an emergency determination “Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia” and notifying the appropriate committee chairs, Trump is able to enact this takeover for 30 days unless ended by Congress. Congress may also extend this emergency order beyond the permitted 30 days.
The D.C. National Guard was also activated with little recourse by the D.C. Mayor. The Guard is under the authority of the President given that D.C. is not a state.
According to expert reports, the takeover isn’t limited to the D.C. MPD and National Guard but also “Federal officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, DEA, ATF, and the U.S. Marshals Service, among many other agencies, have been taken away from their important enforcement duties across the country and reassigned to the streets of Washington, D.C., to respond to a nonexistent ‘emergency.’”
They’re being redirected from important federal operations to conduct “street patrols,” further endangering the District of Columbia.
And the takeover is getting worse: “Republican governors of six states — West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee — announced they will send guard members to Washington, DC.”
Congressional Actions and Policy Solutions
Sadly, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13) has already introduced a resolution to extend the emergency order giving the President further authority beyond the permitted 30-day period for the D.C. takeover. The House can introduce bills during a recess while the Senate cannot. That is why members seeking to end the emergency declaration will introduce joint resolutions once Congress reconvenes.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (MD) has partnered with Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL) and others to restore D.C. control in a forthcoming joint resolution stating: “Trump’s raw authoritarian power grab in D.C. is part of a growing national crisis.”
Local leaders and interfaith partners put together a toolkit of resources which includes events, a press conference, trainings including “know your rights” information, and important pieces of federal legislation.
This is an abuse of power and an overuse of state violence that’s making the District less safe. Freeing up $1 billion of the District’s own money, reinstating over $800 million in canceled Department of Justice grants (including $100 million in canceled Community Violence Interrupter program grants), and advancing statehood would make the District safer and more prosperous.
