Latest news with #WashingtonMemorial
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What Is the Home Rule Act? The Law Trump Invoked in D.C. Takeover
Aerial photo of the Washington Memorial with the Capitol in the background in Washington, D.C., on September 26, 2003. Credit - Andy Dunaway—USAF/Getty Images To take control of the police force of Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump on Monday invoked part of the law that has given the nation's capital a greater degree of self-governance over the past five decades. Citing 'violent crime,' Trump declared a public safety emergency in D.C. and invoked section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973. The law 'is the result of the ongoing push by District residents for control of their own local affairs,' according to the Council of the District of Columbia. D.C. was previously directly governed by Congress—which the Constitution grants authority to 'exercise exclusive Legislation in all cases whatsoever' over the district—and federal appointees. The Home Rule Act allowed city residents to elect a mayor and council starting in the fall of 1974, though it maintained a congressional oversight over D.C. Congress reviews all legislation that the Council passes before it can be enacted into law, and maintains authority over the city's budget. D.C. still doesn't have a voting member of Congress. Section 740 of the law allows the President to take control of D.C.'s police force in 'conditions of an emergency nature'—with certain limitations. The President can federalize the city's law enforcement agency for a period of up to 30 days under the Act, after which point both chambers of Congress must enact into law a joint resolution to extend the emergency control. The Executive Order that Trump signed on Monday says that the federal government shall maintain control of the city's police force 'for the maximum period permitted under section 740 of the Home Rule Act.' Read More: Trump Threatens to Federalize D.C. After Beating of 'Big Balls' Trump threatened to federalize D.C., decrying crime in the city, after the reported assault of a Trump Administration staffer—though data show that violent crime in the city is down significantly. For the federal government to fully take control of the city's governance, the Home Rule Act would have to be suspended or repealed. Some GOP politicians have expressed support for federalizing D.C., a heavily Democratic city, and pushed to repeal the law. Democrats, meanwhile, slammed Trump's move on Monday. D.C.'s Democratic non-voting representative in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, called it 'an historic assault on D.C. home rule' and 'a counterproductive, escalatory seizure of D.C.'s resources to use for purposes not supported by D.C. residents.' Norton and Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland announced the same day that they plan to reintroduce legislation that would give the district full control over the D.C. National Guard and the city's police department when Congress convenes next month, saying those actions 'are needed more urgently than ever.' The bills, the lawmakers said, would repeal the section in the Home Rule Act that allows the President to federalize the city's police force. Norton and other Democratic lawmakers previously introduced similar legislation in 2021, soon after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. In announcing her intention to introduce the legislation at the time, Norton said that the attack on the Capitol 'highlighted more starkly than ever the risk to local D.C. public safety from the president's control over the D.C. National Guard and ultimate authority over the D.C. police department,' adding that 'the mayor should not be reliant on the president to deploy the National Guard to protect public safety in D.C., and D.C. should never have to worry that a president will take over its police force and use it how he or she sees fit.' Contact us at letters@
New York Post
14-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump says weather won't stop dazzling festivities on Army's 250th: ‘Rainy day parade brings good luck'
Stormy weather won't rain on this parade. President Trump affirmed Saturday that the Army's 250th anniversary parade will carry on in the streets of Washington, DC, despite forecasted flash floods, gusts of wind and thunderstorms in the nation's capital. 'Our great military parade is on, rain or shine. Remember, a rainy day parade brings good luck. I'll see you all in DC,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. Advertisement 'This is a big day for America!' he added. Trump has long set his sights on a blowout military parade, marveling at such spectacles in other countries. He's also previously butted heads with DC officials over his hope for tanks to roll down the streets of the nation's capital. This year's parade to celebrate the anniversary of the Army's founding on June 14, 1775 — which came just over a year before the Declaration of Independence — is set to feature an array of military hardware such as howitzers and other Army vehicles. Advertisement 5 The Army is set to host the first major military parade in Washington, DC in about 34 years. REUTERS 5 Scores of Trump supporters have converged on Washington, DC, to participate in the Army's birthday festivities. REUTERS Trump will get his longstanding wish with 128 tanks after the Army agreed to put one-inch-thick metal plates along parts of the route, situate the vehicles with rubber on their treads, and set aside funding for possible repairs. Other military hardware, such as Black Hawk helicopters and Apaches, will be on display during the grand parade. Advertisement The procession will begin around 6:30 p.m. and start on 23rd Street NW near the Lincoln Memorial and end just past the Washington Memorial and the White House at 15th Street NW. It is expected to be finished by around 9:30 p.m. Over 6,600 soldiers donning different Army uniforms are expected to march in the birthday parade, which will feature a flyover with various aircraft, a cacophony of musical performances and an Army Golden Knights parachute jump. Saturday also happens to be Trump's 79th birthday and Flag Day, marking the anniversary of the Stars and Stripes becoming the official US flag on June 14, 1777. 5 There is an assortment of military hardware and festivities taking place at the National Mall before the parade. Getty Images Advertisement The president is expected to deliver remarks during the Army parade. Beforehand, there will be a series of events held on the National Mall to celebrate the Army. During the peak of the parade, the Federal Aviation Administration plans to halt flights into Reagan National Airport, which is just over the Potomac River in Virginia. The grand military parade is expected to feature a telling of the Army's history from the colonial era, beginning with the Battle of Lexington at the start of the Revolutionary War through the modern day. Processions will feature troops dressed in uniforms tethered to each major time period in the Army's two and a half century history. Military equipment used during those conflicts will also be featured as the Army tells its story. This includes iconic weaponry such as a World War I-era Renault tank and Gulf War-era M1A2 Abrams tanks. Army organizers are planning to end the parade with an enlistment and reenlistment ceremony, the Golden Knights parachute display and fireworks. 5 President Trump will deliver remarks at the parade before jetting off to Canada for the G7. Al Drago/UPI/Shutterstock 5 President Trump has long wanted a blockbuster military parade. REUTERS Advertisement Officials have estimated that the parade will cost between $25 to $45 million, not including cleanup, police, and infrastructure damage. Meanwhile, a kaleidoscope of leftist groups is organizing some 2,000 'No King' protests across the country to mark a 'day of defiance' against Trump, who they rage is engaging in authoritarian tendencies with a blockbuster parade to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday. This is the first military parade in DC in 34 years since the end of the first Gulf War.
