Congressional Democrats seek legislative end to Trump's DC police takeover

Justin Papp, CQ-Roll Call on Aug 15, 2025

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WASHINGTON — As tensions escalate around President Donald Trump’s moves to federalize D.C.’s police force, Democrats in Congress are attempting to push back legislatively.

Reps. Jamie Raskin and Robert Garcia — the top Democrats on the House Judiciary and the Oversight and Government Reform committees, respectively — joined D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton in introducing a joint resolution that would terminate Trump’s emergency takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department.

“The only emergency here is a lawless president experiencing a growing public relations emergency because of his close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and his stubborn refusal to release the Epstein file despite his promise to do so,” Raskin, D-Md., said in a statement Friday.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, also of Maryland, planned to introduce a Senate version of the joint resolution, according to the statement.

Trump on Monday cited a section of the 1973 Home Rule Act that allows the federal government to use the local Police Department for up to 30 days. That period could be cut short, or extended, by a joint resolution in Congress. Trump has already signaled he would seek an extension, while Democrats have noted that crime in D.C. has trended downward in the past two years from a peak in 2023, according to MPD stats. Some, including Raskin, have suggested the pivot to crime in D.C. is an attempt by Trump to distract from the Epstein files and other less favorable stories.

In their legislation, Raskin, Garcia and Norton argue that Trump has failed to identify the emergency conditions that would necessitate the federalization of the MPD and that the Home Rule Act “limits the President to directing the Mayor to provide him with the use of MPD’s services to carry out specific Federal purposes.”

“President Trump’s incursions against D.C. are among the most egregious attacks on D.C. home rule in decades,” Norton said in a statement. “No emergency exists in D.C. that the president did not create himself, and he is not using the D.C. Police for federal purposes, as required by law.”

With Republicans in control of both the House and Senate, the joint resolution does not have a realistic path to passage in either chamber. Even if it did pass both chambers, the legislation would need Trump’s signature to become law.

The introduction of the measure comes as tensions simmer over Trump’s moves. Earlier this week, the president dismissed calls for statehood as “ridiculous,” and on Thursday Attorney General Pam Bondi attempted to strip power from MPD Chief Pamela Smith and end D.C.’s sanctuary city policies.

On Friday, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit challenging Trump’s moves. It states, in part, that current law does not allow Trump to replace the chief of police, assert operational control over MPD or unilaterally rescind local policies.

“By declaring a hostile takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the District’s right to self-governance and putting the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk,” Schwalb said in a statement. “The Administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”

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