Overview

• About 2,200 National Guard personnel are operating in Washington, with some authorized to carry firearms under last‑resort rules reported by the Guard to U.S. media.
• The executive order directs the Pentagon to stand up a specialized D.C. Guard unit, maintain nationwide rapid‑response readiness for "civil unrest," hire more Park Police and prosecutors, and open a federal portal to recruit experienced applicants.
• The White House is considering sending Guard forces to Chicago and Baltimore, a plan rejected by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who say no emergency exists.
• Legal questions persist because the president directly controls D.C.'s Guard, while placing state Guard units under federal command without an acute emergency is contested.
• The administration cites rising crime to justify deployments, but police data show declines in Washington, and House Oversight leaders say they will examine claims that D.C. crime figures were manipulated.