Add your name to the petition to oppose Trump’s alarming D.C. power grab!
Dear MoveOn member,
On Monday, Trump announced unprecedented plans to take control of Washington, D.C.’s police force and sent hundreds of National Guard troops to terrorize residents—flagrantly lying to the American public in order to get away with it.
Trump is abusing a provision in the D.C. Home Rule Act to declare a bogus state of emergency to give him temporary federal control—”temporary” being the key word. The law limits how long a president can command control in emergency situations up to 30 days, and any extension would require approval from Congress.1 But already, Trump and MAGA Republicans are trying to find a workaround to cement their D.C. power grab.
To no surprise, Republicans have continued escalating the situation to gain even more power over the district. Just yesterday U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, issued a directive to instate Terry Cole, the head of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, as the new “emergency police commissioner,” giving the federal government full control of the police department.2 And earlier this week, MAGA Republican Andy Ogles introduced legislation to extend Trump’s militarized takeover for an indefinite amount of time.3 This is an egregious display of unfettered power. Trump and MAGA Republicans are trying to bypass Congress to maintain control—and if they are successful, they could try to permanently seize our nation’s capital.
This is about the right for D.C. residents to have representation, autonomy, and freedom. But make no mistake—what happens next will chart the course for our entire country’s future. Because one thing is certain: If Trump’s authoritarian takeover in D.C. is successful, he and the rest of his cronies won’t stop there.
Chicago. New York. Los Angeles. Baltimore. Oakland. Trump wants to replicate this ploy in cities across the country.4 That’s why it’s urgent that all of us, no matter where we live, fight back against this egregious abuse of power now before it’s too late.
Thanks for all you do.
–Kelsey, Aliya, Eric, Nita, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. “Trump’s D.C. Police Takeover and National Guard Deployment, Explained,” The New York Times, August 13, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/us/politics/trump-dc-national-guard-police.html
2. “Bondi names DEA head as DC’s ‘emergency police commissioner,’ but capital leaders push back,” AP News, August 15, 2025
https://apnews.com/article/washington-trump-homeless-national-guard-police-a0d326fcd3731c564c2c566893385674
3. “Ogles pushing to extend D.C. takeover,” WKRN, August 13, 2025
https://www.wkrn.com/video/ogles-pushing-to-extend-d-c-takeover/10981014/
4. “Mayors of Democratic cities beyond D.C. decry Trump’s takeover threats,” NPR, August 14, 2025
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/14/nx-s1-5501273/trump-dc-takeover-cities-mayors-police-national-guard
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