Congress returned to session on Tuesday following a summer break, and House Republicans vowed to keep the heat on D.C. with new legislation aimed at battling crime, in alignment with President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement surge.
The president’s declaration of a crime emergency in the District is now in its fourth week.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said more than 200 arrests were made in D.C. over the Labor Day weekend.
Members of the Republican Study Committee, which has accused District leaders of being “soft on crime,” held a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, where they hailed the president’s declaration of a crime emergency as a success.
“We’re having to turn our attention in Congress on doing what the District of Columbia, its mayor and their leadership should have done long ago — and that’s to keep this city safe,” said Rep. August Pfluger, who heads the committee and represents the 11th District in Texas.
Republicans from several states said D.C. is a safer city due to the president’s intervention and indicated they would support extending the federal takeover beyond 30 days in a vote next week — if that’s what the president wants.
Rep. William Timmons, who represents South Carolina’s Fourth District, said the 2,200 National Guard personnel on the ground in D.C. are making a difference.
“Having soldiers that are walking around, criminals know that they’re going to be caught. They’re going to be held accountable,” Timmons said.
GOP lawmakers have said other cities with crime problems should welcome the Trump administration’s offer to send in federal troops.
Democratic governors, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, have said they don’t want the administration telling them what to do with the National Guard.
However, on Tuesday, Trump said federal intervention will go to Chicago and Baltimore next.
Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, said they are putting together several pieces of legislation that will address crime issues in D.C., including juvenile crime and getting rid of cashless bail.
Congressional concerns about possible government shutdown
While D.C. crime has the attention of many Republicans, Democratic leaders are concerned about the possibility of a government shutdown.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a letter to fellow Democrats, warned that Republicans will raise the risk of a shutdown in the coming weeks if they “go at it alone” on a stopgap spending measure.
“The only way to avoid a shutdown is to work in a bipartisan way, with a bill that can get both Republican and Democratic votes in the Senate,” Schumer said in the letter.
A continuing resolution needs to be approved before the start of the fiscal year, on Oct. 1.
Democrats are upset with the Trump administration for implementing a so-called “pocket rescission,” to claw back $4.9 billion in foreign aid that was approved by members of both political parties. The administration said Friday it would not spend the money.
The announcement came less than 45 days before the end of the fiscal year, so Congress can’t act within the required 45-day time frame.
Democrats — and some Republicans — argue the pocket rescission is illegal and undermines the “power of the purse” of Congress.
If a showdown over broader government spending takes place in the coming weeks, Democrats and Republicans will point fingers at each other, accusing the opposing party of causing a shutdown.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
