For all the latest developments in Congress, follow WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller at Today on the Hill.
There are growing signs that the deployment of National Guard personnel in D.C isn’t going to end any time soon and that President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in the District will continue into the fall.
Georgia’s governor announced Friday that his state will send 300 more National Guard personnel to D.C. later this month.
Exactly how long the 2,200 National Guard troops currently in D.C. will be on District streets remains an open question.
In order to be extended, the president’s declared crime emergency for D.C. is supposed to be voted on by Congress within 30 days. That would place the deadline for a vote on Sept. 10.
But no votes on whether to extend the crime emergency are scheduled in the House or Senate next week.
Republican leaders have reportedly decided not to hold votes, citing Mayor Muriel Bowser’s cooperation with the Trump administration as it works with her office on developing a plan to beautify the city and make it safer.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that GOP lawmakers are still working out several proposals to fight crime.
“We’re working through various ideas on what that can entail, and really, a nationwide crime bill is one of the things on the table,” he said.
Bowser, however, said this week that she still considers next Wednesday the deadline for extending the crime emergency.
“The only way it can be extended, legally, is by the Congress,” Bowser said.
Trump has indicated that he intends to keep the National Guard on D.C.’s streets for the foreseeable future.
The Army said Thursday that the D.C. National Guard’s active-duty orders have been extended through Nov. 30. But officials indicated that was for administrative purposes, to ensure personnel remain eligible for their benefits.
As of now, there is no specific date set for the deactivation of about 950 D.C. National Guard personnel. Also, the order does not apply to the more than 1,200 National Guard members from six states who have been deployed in D.C.
Georgia sending more troops to DC
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday that about 300 of his state’s National Guard members will deploy to D.C. at the request of the Trump administration.
They are expected to arrive in the District in mid-September.
“Georgia is proud to stand with the Trump administration in its mission to ensure the security and beauty of our nation’s capital,” Kemp said in a statement.
The governor said the troops will go to D.C. “to aid in restoring public safety.”
Georgia will be the seventh state to send National Guard personnel to D.C. All of the states are led by Republican governors.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb on Thursday filed a lawsuit to try to stop Trump from deploying National Guard personnel in the District.
Senator questions deployment
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia is a strong supporter of the military, but he questions how National Guard members are being utilized.
Kaine, a Democrat, said if the Senate voted on whether to extend the law enforcement surge in D.C., he believes it would be defeated. He said the Trump administration’s use of the National Guard is “just for show.”
Kaine said this week he was walking near Lincoln Park, which is about a mile east of the U.S. Capitol and saw about six members of the National Guard there.
“I walk through Lincoln Park all the time. It’s very safe, it’s very peaceful,” he said. “It was no more safe or peaceful than it was before.”
Kaine, who’s a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he enjoys seeing people in uniform and saying hello to them.
“But I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these guard members who are here are wondering, ‘Why are we here?'” he said.
National Guard members generally have to leave their jobs when they are called for duty.
It is estimated that the cost of the deployment of the 2,200 National Guard members in the District is more than $1 million a day.
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.
