Trump declared federal control of DC police and deployed the National Guard. Here's how he is able to do it

CNN

a day ago

President Donald Trump said Monday he is placing Washington, DC's, police department 'under direct federal control' and deploying National Guard troops to the nation's capital, citing a public safety emergency after an assault on a former government worker.
The move draws on the sweeping, but temporary powers granted under the Home Rule Act of 1973, a law that balances local self-governance with federal oversight in the capital. While the president can assume control of the police department for up to two days, extending this authority would require congressional notice or a change to the law.
Trump's announcement comes after the assault of a 19-year-old former Department of Government Efficiency worker during an attempted carjacking on August 3. While Trump has repeatedly criticized what he describes as a surge in violent crime in Washington, overall crime numbers this year are lower than last year.
'Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today!' Trump said Monday on his Truth Social.
The declaration also came as administration lawyers were in a courtroom Monday for the first day of a trial over the legality of Trump's deployment of the National Guard in California in June amid protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles.
Here's what to know about Trump's authority in Washington, DC, and the implications of this unprecedented move:
Washington, DC, operates under the Home Rule Act of 1973, which grants Congress oversight and authority over the capital while allowing district residents limited self-governance.
The act grants emergency powers to the federal government, allowing the president to take control of the city's police for up to 48 hours if he determines 'special conditions of an emergency nature exist,' requiring the department's use for federal purposes.
This marks the first time in the act's history that a president has assumed control of the city's police force.
Extending the takeover for a longer period would require Trump to formally notify the chairs and ranking members of congressional committees handling DC affairs. It is not clear whether the president has taken that step.
Any control lasting more than 30 days would need congressional approval and must be passed into law, a highly improbable scenario given the current gridlock in a closely divided Congress.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and leaders of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department did not know about Trump's intentions ahead of his announcement, three sources told CNN.
Bowser called the move 'unsettling and unprecedented' during a news conference Monday, saying she believes Trump's view of DC was 'shaped by his Covid-era experience during his first term' when crime spiked.
DC Police Union chairman Greggory Pemberton said the group supports the move and agrees 'something needs to be done.'
Trump also activated 800 soldiers from the DC National Guard, with up to 200 assigned to support law enforcement, according to the Defense Department.
'Duties for those personnel include administrative and logistical roles, as well as providing a physical presence in support of law enforcement,' the Defense Department said.
Beyond the police department, Trump has broad jurisdiction over the city's affairs. Numerous federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are headquartered in the city and report directly to the administration.
Over the weekend, Trump moved officers from several federal agencies, including up to 130 FBI agents to patrol with DC police in several neighborhoods.
Despite Trump's claims Monday that crime is 'out of control,' data shows violent crime in Washington, DC, has been declining since its 2023 spike, with two years of sustained improvement.
There were 274 reported homicides in 2023, the city's highest number since 1997. But there was a 32% drop in 2024 to 187 and another 12% fall so far this year, with 99 reported as of Sunday.
Carjackings saw a similar trend. After surging to 959 in 2023, the number of reported carjackings dropped to around 500 in 2024, and has fallen further in 2025, with just 188 incidents as of Saturday. July marked the lowest monthly carjacking total since May 2020.
Similarly, cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore and Detroit – historically known for high homicide rates – have seen substantial declines in violent crime in 2024, 2025 or both.