President Donald Trump’s takeover of police in Washington, D.C., to fight crime in the nation’s capital may extend beyond a month if Congress passes a measure unveiled this week by a House Republican.
The “Capital Emergency Control Act of 2025,” which Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) revealed on Wednesday, would do away with the 30-day limit that is written in Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.
“President Trump has rightly declared a national emergency in Washington, D.C. — a city its own government has surrendered to chaos. Under current law, the President can only federalize D.C. for thirty days,” Ogles said in a post on X. “I’m introducing a resolution to amend the D.C. Home Rule Act so the President can extend this emergency as long as it takes, until our Capitol is taken back and its streets are safe. Congress must defend the President, and our Country.”
On Monday, Trump invoked Section 740, which allowed him to direct the D.C. mayor to deliver him control of the Metropolitan Police Department. The president then notified Congress of his intention to keep the emergency he invoked until it is no longer needed or reaches the “maximum period” allowed. As it stands, Section 740 says anything beyond 30 days would require Congress to pass a joint resolution that authorizes the extension.
The measure from Ogles would get rid of the time restraint provision and give the president room to hold onto control of D.C. police for additional periods of up to 30 days — if relevant committees are informed and provided a reason for why the emergency situation persists at each interval. Language that says lawmakers could vote for a joint resolution that ends the authority remains intact.
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Federal officials announced dozens of arrests have been made since Trump’s D.C. police takeover began. Top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), have expressed approval of the operation. Meanwhile, Democrats assailed the move and plan to push legislation that would give nation’s capital “full control” of its police force, as well as the D.C. National Guard, which the president deployed along with agents from various federal law enforcement organizations to help with the crackdown on crime. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) issued a statement on Thursday criticizing the resolution from Ogles that could prolong the takeover.
“D.C. pays more federal taxes per capita than any state and more federal taxes overall than 19 states, while being denied the same voting representation in Congress or full local self-government accorded to residents of the 50 states,” Norton said in a statement. “I will do everything in my power to block this bill’s progress and passage and prevent D.C. from suffering additional indignities at the hands of the federal government.”
Earlier this year, Ogles introduced a bill called the “Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident Act” or the “BOWSER Act,” a nod to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. If passed, the legislation would repeal the Home Rule Act, which beyond Section 740 allows the district a limited amount of self-governance. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the same measure in the upper chamber.
“The radically progressive regime of D.C. Mayor Bowser has left our nation’s Capital in crime-ridden shambles. Washington is now known for its homicides, rapes, drug overdoses, violence, theft, and homelessness. Bowser and her corrupt Washington City Council are incapable of managing the city,” Ogles said in a February statement.
He continued, “As such, it seems appropriate for Congress to reclaim its Constitutional authority and restore the nation’s Capital. The epicenter of not only the United States Federal Government but also the world geopolitics cannot continue to be a cesspool of Democrats’ failed policies. That’s why I’ve introduced the Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident (BOWSER) Act, which would repeal the D.C. Home Rule Act. I am grateful to Senator Lee for his willingness to lead this critical legislation in the Senate.”