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Van Hollen predicts Congress will not let Trump keep control of D.C. police

Chevall Pryce and Carson Swick, The Baltimore Sun on

Published in News & Features

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen believes his Republican colleagues will not allow President Donald Trump to keep the Washington, D.C., police department under federal control indefinitely.

Van Hollen explained that, under the 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act, Trump must seek congressional approval to continue federal control the D.C. police department and deploy the National Guard to the nation’s capital.

“His ability to extend it beyond 30 days is not authorized,” Van Hollen said on ABC News Sunday. “And so, they’re going to have to pass this statute… this extension in the Congress. And I don’t think that that’s going to pass.”

Van Hollen pointed out that Trump had to reverse course on replacing the D.C. police chief after officials stepped in and sued him for the decision. He said that example showed Trump has a low chance of getting the statute extended when other government officials can interfere.

“The FBI, the DEA, folks who are supposed to be out and about protecting the country from violent criminals, and now they are spending their time taking down tents of homeless people in the District of Columbia,” he said. “I would think people all over the country would worry about that diversion of resources.”

But some congressional Republicans are already taking action to back the president. The party has already shown a willingness to support Trump’s more controversial actions this year, such as confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to his cabinet.

 

Rep. Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican, has already introduced a resolution to Congress to extend Trump’s control of D.C.’s police department and deployment of the National Guard past 30 days.

Ogles’ “Capital Emergency Control Act of 2025” would strike the 30-day limit from Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act and instead allow the president to unilaterally extend the control period by 30 days. The act would also allow the extensions to keep occurring unless Congress enacts a joint resolution to terminate the president’s authority.

“President Trump has rightly declared a national emergency in Washington, D.C.— a city its own government has surrendered to chaos,” Ogles said in a post on X. “Congress must defend the president, and our country.”

While Trump has raised concerns about public safety in the nation’s capital, crime numbers are down. Washington Metropolitan Police Department data shows violent crime is down 26%, overall crime down 7% and property crime down 5% since last year.

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©2025 The Baltimore Sun. Visit at baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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