National Guard from Republican states heading to DC: What you need to know

USA Today

3 days ago

Deployments by troops from Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia will nearly double the force that Trump has already deployed to Washington, D.C. amid a crackdown on crime.
Hundreds of National Guard members from Republican-led states will join federal troops on the ground in Washington, D.C., as part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on crime in the nation's capital.
Trump seized control of the District's police force and mobilized 800 soldiers from the Washington, D.C. National Guard on Aug. 11, declaring crime was "out of control." Advocates, lawmakers and many residents have pushed back on that characterization, which defies crime data.
Republican governors have opted to bolster Trump's forces by sending their own guardsmen to Washington beginning with Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia.
"South Carolina is proud to stand with President Trump as he works to restore law and order to our nation's capital and ensure safety for all who live, work, and visit there," said South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Aug. 16 in a statement about sending 200 guardsmen to D.C.
The mobilization of troops from Republican-led states will bring the total number of guardsmen in the capital to over 1,000.
Here's what else to know about the growing force on the ground in Washington.
How many soldiers are Republican governors sending?
The three Republican states sending members of the National Guard to Washington, D.C. have mobilized around 750 troops: 150 from Ohio, 200 from South Carolina and between 300 and 400 from West Virginia.
Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio called sending troops from the Buckeye State the "right thing to do."
He said the deployment comes in response to an Aug. 15 request from Secretary of the Army Daniel P. Driscoll.
"The initial decision to deploy D.C. National Guard was not my decision. That was the president of the United States' decision," DeWine told the statehouse bureau. "But when the secretary of the Army asks for backup support to our troops that are already deployed, yes, we will back up our troops."
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrissey said on Aug. 16 the state's deployment of troops also came at Trump's request. Morrissey said their deployment reflects our "commitment to a strong and secure America."
Troops are expected to arrive on 30-day deployments that the secretary of the Army could ask to extend.
South Carolina Gov. McMaster said he would recall guardsmen in the event of a hurricane or other natural disaster.
How big of a force will be in D.C.?
The troops from Republican-led states deploying to the District will nearly double the size of the force Trump has already deployed, from 800 to 1,550 in total.
Federal troops will work alongside the city's already 3,100-officer-strong police force.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said last week that the city's police department was understaffed and was supposed to have 3,800 officers.
But she says understaffing hasn't stopped the city from achieving its lowest levels of violent crime in 30 years.
"Crime levels are not only down from 2023, but from before the pandemic," Bowser said at a televised community meeting on August 12. "Our tactics are working, and we aren't taking our foot off the gas."
Trump 'has the authority to do what he did,' Ohio gov says
DeWine shot back at Bowser and others questioning Trump's deployment of the guardsmen.
"The people who don't like it in D.C. don't have the authority. The president of the United States has that authority," DeWine said. "Anybody can argue whether or not he should or shouldn't have the authority, but it's very clear. There is no debate he has the authority to do what he did."
Trump was able to deploy about a third of the 2,400 National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. because of the city's unique status as a federal district.
In the rest of the country, the president cannot deploy troops in a policing capacity without the consent of the state's governor though he deployed thousands of troops to Los Angeles over objections from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Vermont 'politely' declines Trump request: Reports
Not all who have heard the call have responded by sending in troops.
Gov. Phil Scott, the Republican leader of Vermont, "politely declined" to send a request to send guardsmen to Washington, D.C., according to reporting by Vermont Public, a National Public Radio affiliate.
Jason Gibbs, the governor's chief of staff, told Vermont Public on Aug. 15 that sending Green Mountain State troops to Washington was too far outside the scope of what the soldiers typically do.
"In the absence of an immediate emergency or disaster that local and regional first responders are unable to handle, the governor just does not support utilizing the guard for this purpose, and does not view the enforcement of domestic law as a proper use of the National Guard," Gibbs said, according to Vermont Public.
Scott's office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY requests for comment.
Contributing by Cybele Mayes-Osterman, a National Security & World Affairs Reporter with USA TODAY; and USA TODAY Network reporters Jessie Balmert of The Columbus Dispatch and Bella Carpentier of The Greenville News.