In August 2025, President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops into the Nation's Capital, DC. Since then our most vulnerable populations have beared the brunt of violent cross-agency police violence aided by the United States Military. 

 More than a year later, troops are still on D.C.'s streets, and the mission has been extended through January 2029. Because D.C. is not a state, it has no governor to command its National Guard — the President does. That raises a fundamental question: Who should control public safety in the nation's capital, and what limits apply to federal military involvement?

This is the biggest threat to DC's Autonomy since Home Rule was established in 1973 and it is a clear example of why DC needs statehood now. No president should have the authority to militarize the Nation's Capital, especially during an election year. 

The Trump administration argues that the deployment supports public safety and protects federal functions. D.C.'s elected officials have challenged its legality, arguing that it infringes on local self-government. In November 2025, a federal judge ruled in the District's favor, but an appeals court paused that ruling and the troops stayed. The appeals court heard arguments on October 14, 2026, and the dispute is still unresolved.

The Impact

For Washington residents, this is not an abstract constitutional debate. National Guard troops have patrolled streets and neighborhoods, while residents have protested the military presence and questioned the loss of local control.

And when D.C. residents want to change the federal decisions that shape their lives, they have no senator to call and no voting representative in the House. Their elected local government operates under congressional authority that state governments do not face.

The Requested Action

We call on Congress to pass the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51 and S. 51), which would admit most of D.C. as the 51st state, with two senators and a voting member of the House. Until then, Congress should strengthen D.C.'s local self-government and clarify the limits on federal military involvement in local policing.

We also call on President Trump to review the continuing National Guard deployment and publicly explain its necessity, its legal basis, and the conditions under which it will end.

D.C. residents pay the taxes. They deserve full representation — and a real say in how their city is governed.