Overview
- President Trump invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act this week to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department, forging a limited agreement that leaves local command with Chief Pamela Smith while expanding federal oversight
- About 800 District of Columbia National Guard members remain on patrol and Republican governors from West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio have pledged up to 750 additional troops in the coming days
- Hundreds of federal agents from agencies including the FBI, DEA, ICE, ATF and U.S. Marshals have taken to the streets to conduct foot patrols, vehicle checkpoints and detentions in commercial corridors such as Fourteenth Street
- D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Attorney General Brian Schwalb have filed lawsuits challenging the administration’s authority under the Home Rule Act and courts and Congress are set to review the federal takeover’s legality and duration
- Residents have staged protests across the city, local businesses report more than 25% declines in restaurant reservations, and the administration is weighing arming Guard units and replicating the federal-surge model in other cities