As legal and political tensions escalate over federal intervention in the District, Mayor Muriel Bowser is turning her attention toward the end of President Donald Trump’s declared crime emergency — while council members rally behind a lawsuit challenging the continued deployment of the National Guard.
At a news conference on Thursday morning following the announcement of the lawsuit filed by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb challenging the use of the National Guard, Bowser said, “This has been a legal question throughout the emergency, not just today. And I will just reiterate that my focus, and the focus of our emergency operations center, is on planning for the exit out of the emergency next week.”
The Army later said it’s extending orders for the D.C. National Guard to remain in the nation’s capital through Nov. 30, two U.S. officials told ABC News on Thursday.
The crime emergency is scheduled to end Sept. 10.
Bowser said she has not been consulted on any possible extension.
“I’m not sure that that’s an indication of how long they’ll be deployed. I know that there’s a lot of reporting about how weary they are. And I get that, because deployments are hard. People are away from their families, and they may not necessarily think they’re on mission,” Bowser said.
“So, I think that the deployments themselves are running their course,” she added. “We are organized to best use our own public safety resources and any additional public safety resources. And I think that’s a message for the Congress.”
Council members react to lawsuit
Speaking to WTOP, Ward 3 Council member Matthew Frumin and At-Large Council member Robert White expressed support for the lawsuit.
“There was just a decision that said the president has improperly deployed the National Guard in other places,” Frumin said. “So, the fact that the attorney general would capitalize on those findings in other jurisdictions to try to get us to where we want to be, which is not having armed soldiers on our streets, makes sense.”
White echoed that support, saying he believes AG Schwalb has built a “strong case.”
“What the president is doing is illegal. He’s not respecting Congress, he’s not respecting Home Rule, he’s not respecting D.C. residents,” White said.
Frumin also spoke about the mayor’s position, describing it as “incredibly difficult.” He acknowledged the criticism Bowser has faced but said she is trying to find a way forward.
“If we could get to a place where the ICE activity got under control and the National Guard left, that would be a vast improvement over where we are,” he said.
He said Bowser likely has the clearest sense of what might lead to the end of the emergency, given her direct communication with federal officials.
“I have to believe she knows this might not work, but she’s made the determination that this is the best, most constructive path forward. And I want to support her in that,” Frumin said.
White, however, took a sharply different view. He warned the mayor’s recent order establishing an operations center to coordinate with federal law enforcement could send the wrong message and undermine D.C.’s autonomy.
“We have to protect D.C., Home Rule and democracy,” White said. “It’s hard for national voices, other governors, members of Congress, to say ‘stop what’s happening in D.C.’ if they’re getting a message that D.C. welcomes it. D.C. does not welcome it.”
Bowser, in responding to criticism on Wednesday, said her goal is to end the emergency, not to invite federal intervention.
Still, White accused the mayor of trying to appease the president, a strategy he believes is bound to fail.
“It’s not going to work,” he said. “We have to make sure we work with our allies, those who believe in democracy and Home Rule, to protect it.”
The White House has defended the federal effort. On Tuesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the deployment of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in D.C. “has yielded tremendous results in such a short time. Violent crime has plummeted, and dangerous criminals are being removed from the streets every single night.”
Frumin acknowledged the drop in crime but cautioned that the current approach is not sustainable. He said some residents now feel unsafe while simply being outside.
White agreed. He warned that while crime may be down, the long-term damage to the community’s trust in the government could make the city less safe in the future.
“So, when the military leaves our city, we are left with that broken reputation that’s going to make us less safe,” he said.
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