President Trump announced Monday he will invoke Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, placing the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and deploying about 800 National Guard troops to assist with logistics, transportation, and securing federal and law enforcement facilities.
Branding the announcement “Liberation Day in DC,” Trump declared the move aimed at “taking our capital back” under his presidential authority, citing rising violent crime in the capital.
While the D.C. mayor and council typically oversee the district under the Home Rule Act of 1973, Congress retains authority to review and repeal its laws and budget, and has previously intervened in city matters—most recently in 2023 over a crime bill. Federal control of the district last occurred in 1995, when President Bill Clinton established a financial control board that managed the city’s finances until 2001.
