Congress will have a significant role to play if President Donald Trump wants to extend his takeover of the police in Washington, D.C., to crack down on crime for more than a month.
Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act and declared a public emergency on Monday. Under the law, Trump is allowed to direct the D.C. mayor to deliver him control of the Metropolitan Police Department.
However, the Home Rule Act says the president is allowed to initially use this power for up to 48 hours. If the president wants to extend that authority for 30 days, relevant committees in Congress must be notified with an explanation of the need and expected time duration.
Indeed, Trump wrote a letter on Monday to the House Oversight Committee saying he needed to address violent crime in D.C. He noted the emergency would continue until he determined it was no longer needed or lasted for the “maximum period” allowed under Section 740.
Any period beyond 30 days would require Congress to pass a joint resolution that authorizes the extension. Presently, Republicans control both chambers of Congress. The GOP leaders of the House and Senate have both expressed approval of Trump’s D.C. police takeover.
“Every American should be able to visit and enjoy Washington, D.C. without fear. House Republicans support this effort to CLEAN UP Washington, END the crime wave, and RESTORE the beauty of the greatest capital in the world,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) declared in a post on X.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said, “I’m grateful for [Trump’s] leadership and for this administration’s commitment to protecting communities large and small across America. Washington, D.C., should be a place where people can safely live, visit, work, and raise a family, and today’s announcement is a positive step in that direction.”
Democrats have been heavily critical of the move and plan to push legislation that would give nation’s capital “full control” of its police force as well as the D.C. National Guard, which Trump previously said he was deploying to assist in the crime-fighting effort.
“Violent crime in Washington, D.C. is at a thirty-year low. Donald Trump has no basis to take over the local police department. And zero credibility on the issue of law and order. Get lost,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a post on X.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) proclaimed, “For all the talk Republicans give about giving their localities their rights, where are they now? If this was anything other than a political ploy and attempted distraction from Trump’s other scandals, if he actually cared about the people of DC, he’d demand the House finally release the billion dollars of DC’s funding they’ve been sitting on for months.”
