--- title: Trump's D.C. Emergency Declaration Is Expiring. What's Next? description: Trump's takeover of Washington D.C.’s police force is set to expire Wednesday night, but the federal crackdown on the city isn’t over yet. canonical: https://time.com/7316078/trump-dc-crackdown-national-guard-police/ author: Connor Greene article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-09-10T18:11:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2025-09-10T20:19:13.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump's D.C. Emergency Declaration Is Expiring. What's Next? og:description: Trump's takeover of the city's police force expires Wednesday night, but the federal crackdown on D.C. isn’t over yet. og:url: https://time.com/7316078/trump-dc-crackdown-national-guard-police/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf6dff6718f0efd7/6998c9b025f3eeeb2d644fd1/GettyImages-2230137517.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Trump Increases Federal Law Enforcement Presence, Deploys National Guard In Nation's Capital og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump's D.C. Emergency Declaration Is Expiring. What's Next? twitter:description: Trump's takeover of the city's police force expires Wednesday night, but the federal crackdown on D.C. isn’t over yet. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf6dff6718f0efd7/6998c9b025f3eeeb2d644fd1/GettyImages-2230137517.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 03:21 video:published: 2025-08-11 section: politics topics: Trump announcement, federal takeover of DC police, District of Columbia Home Rule Act, National Guard deployment, public safety emergency, crime in Washington DC, homeless encampments, sanctuary city policy, law enforcement, Attorney General Pam Bondi genre: news report, political speech tones: assertive, forceful, critical, confident emotions: determination (high), anger (medium), pride (medium) sentiment: negative audience: news followers, political observers, Washington DC residents, policy analysts people: Donald Trump, Pam Bondi, Terry Cole organizations: DC Metropolitan Police Department, National Guard, Drug Enforcement Administration, Congress content_suitability: crime [00:00-00:10]; politics [00:21-01:18]; politics [01:54-02:00]; financial distress [02:33-03:07] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Trump’s Emergency Declaration for Washington, D.C., Expires Today. Here’s What Happens Next > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=97f384e1-47e8-4201-9abf-6084b4e48173&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump Set to Deploy Wave of Federal Forces on Washington, D.C., Over Crime Problem Locals Say He's Exaggerating [Watch (HLS stream): Trump Set to Deploy Wave of Federal Forces on Washington, D.C., Over Crime Problem Locals Say He's Exaggerating](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3vlqri4t.m3u8) (3:21)  _Published 2025-08-11. President Donald Trump announced Monday he was putting the Washington, D.C. police department under federal control and deploying National Guard on the streets of the nation's capitol, a striking move taken over the objections of local leaders, who say Trump is exaggerating the city's crime problems._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video presents remarks by President Trump announcing a public safety emergency in Washington, D.C. He says he is invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act and placing the Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control. He also announces a National Guard deployment, introduces federal officials taking leadership roles, and describes plans to remove homeless encampments from parks and end the city's status as a sanctuary for illegal alien criminals. ## Key points - Trump says he is invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act and placing the DC Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control. (00:21) - He announces a deployment of the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, DC. (00:47) - Trump declares a public safety emergency in the District of Columbia. (00:58) - Attorney General Pam Bondi is said to be taking command of the Metropolitan Police Department, with notifications to Congress and the mayor to follow. (01:04) - The new DEA administrator, Terry Cole, is designated interim federal commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department. (01:18) - Trump says the city will no longer be a sanctuary for illegal alien criminals and will see integrated law enforcement cooperation with an overwhelming officer presence. (01:54) - Trump says the effort started over the weekend and that homeless encampments are being removed from parks, with help offered to the people living there. (02:14) - The plan includes 800 D.C. National Guardsmen, with more to be added if necessary. (03:10) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:21] Announcing a 'Liberation Day' for DC. Trump opens by announcing a historic action to rescue the capital from crime and take it back. - [00:21 to 00:47] Federal control of Metropolitan Police. He invokes section 740 of the Home Rule Act and places the police department under direct federal control. - [00:47 to 01:18] National Guard and public safety emergency. He announces the National Guard deployment, declares an emergency, and says Attorney General Bondi is taking command. - [01:18 to 01:54] Interim federal police commissioner named. Trump introduces the DEA administrator, designating him interim federal commissioner of the police department. - [01:54 to 02:14] Sanctuary status and law enforcement presence. He says the city will no longer be a sanctuary for illegal alien criminals and promises an overwhelming police presence. - [02:14 to 03:07] Removing homeless encampments from parks. He says the effort has begun and describes clearing homeless encampments while offering help to those affected. - [03:07 to 03:21] Guard numbers and joint effort. He states that federal authorities and police will be supported by 800 Guardsmen, with more if necessary. ## Key quotes - [00:10] Donald Trump: "This is Liberation Day in DC and we're going to take our capital back." - [00:21] Donald Trump: "I'm officially invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act." - [00:58] Donald Trump: "So today, we're declaring public safety emergency in the District of Columbia." - [01:54] Donald Trump: "This city will no longer be a sanctuary for illegal alien criminals." - [03:00] Donald Trump: "But they'll not be allowed to turn our capital into a wasteland for the world to see." ## Questions this video answers - What legal authority does Trump cite for taking control of the DC police? [00:21] - Who is taking command of the Metropolitan Police Department? [01:04] - Who is named interim federal commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department? [01:18] - How many National Guard members are being deployed in Washington, DC? [03:10] - What does Trump say will happen to homeless encampments in DC parks? [02:33] - What does Trump say about DC's status regarding illegal alien criminals? [01:54] ## Content suitability - crime [00:00-00:10]: Trump describes the capital as suffering from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor. - politics [00:21-01:18]: Announcement of federal takeover of local police, a National Guard deployment and an emergency declaration, a politically contested action. - politics [01:54-02:00]: Statement about ending the city's status as a sanctuary for illegal alien criminals, touching on immigration policy. - financial distress [02:33-03:07]: Discussion of removing homeless encampments from parks. by [Connor Greene](https://time.com/author/connor-greene/) ## Connor Greene Reporter Updated: Sep 10, 2025 8:19 PM UTCPublished: Sep 10, 2025 6:11 PM UTC President Donald Trump announced Monday he was putting the Washington, D.C. police department under federal control and deploying National Guard on the streets of the nation's capitol, a striking move taken over the objections of local leaders, who say Trump is exaggerating the city's crime problems. by [Connor Greene](https://time.com/author/connor-greene/) ## Connor Greene Reporter Updated: Sep 10, 2025 8:19 PM UTCPublished: Sep 10, 2025 6:11 PM UTC President Donald Trump’s 30-day [takeover](https://time.com/7308788/trump-washington-dc-national-guard/) of Washington D.C.’s police force is set to expire Wednesday night, but the federal crackdown on the city isn’t over yet. Trump declared a state of emergency over crime in the nation’s capital one month ago, invoking a section of the [District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973](https://time.com/7309000/dc-home-rule-act-trump/) to take control over the local police force. The law, which gives D.C. residents a greater degree of self-governance but retains Congress’s constitutional authority over the city, only enabled Trump to federalize the D.C. police for up to 30 days. After that point, Congress would need to extend the White House’s emergency control—and House Speaker Mike Johnson has said lawmakers don’t currently have plans to do so. “No one’s calling on Congress yet,” Johnson [said](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOABnl%5FRgng) during a press conference on Tuesday, citing D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s ongoing cooperation and what he characterized as her “indefinite welcome mat” for the National Guard. In an order last week, Bowser [called](https://mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-provides-update-federal-surge) for ongoing collaboration between local and federal law enforcement “to the maximum extent allowable by law within the District.” The directive does not have an expiration date. The National Guard was not included among the agencies listed for coordination in Bowser’s order. The Mayor has said she does not “believe that troops should be policing American cities” and that the deployment of National Guard troops in D.C., especially those deployed by other states, “hasn't worked, in my opinion, and hasn't been efficient and is not on mission.” “If you have an agreement, my understanding is an agreement between the White House and the local leadership, then I’m not sure Congress has any necessity to do anything,” Johnson said. “So we’ll see how that plays out.” Under Trump's takeover, he directed that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) be put under Attorney General Pam Bondi's oversight. Bondi then sought to tap the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration to be D.C.'s "emergency police commissioner," but the city pushed back on the move as illegal and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) chief Pamela Smith has remained in charge. The end of the 30-day window is set to fully end Trump's authority in relation to the department, and Bondi's oversight. While Congress isn’t taking action to extend the President’s emergency declaration, however, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform was set to meet on Wednesday to [discuss](https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-announces-full-committee-markup-of-legislation-to-ensure-a-safe-and-prosperous-district-of-columbia/) a series of bills that would increase federal control over D.C. Among the legislation being proposed is a bill that aims to [codify parts of an Executive Order](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/03/2025-05837/making-the-district-of-columbia-safe-and-beautiful) Trump issued earlier this year, including by establishing a “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Commission to coordinate across federal agencies and D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, and to develop joint priorities to enable the full enforcement of Federal and local laws within the District,” according to a press [release](https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-announces-full-committee-markup-of-legislation-to-ensure-a-safe-and-prosperous-district-of-columbia/) from the Oversight Committee. Other proposals include lowering the age of juveniles who can be prosecuted as adults from 16 to 14 and allowing the president to appoint the city’s attorney general. Despite Trump’s control over the MPD ending, the Army has instructed the National Guard—which Trump deployed on the streets of the capital when he declared the state of emergency—to remain in D.C. through the end of November. “Our mission is not complete,” said Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II, who oversees the Guard in D.C., in a social media [post](https://x.com/DCGuard1802/status/1963596959266361486). “I’ve made the decision to extend the encampment as we continue to ensure that everyone who walks through these city streets is safe.” The order only applies to the D.C. National Guard. It does not apply to the Guard members from other states who have also been deployed in the city; their next moves will be determined by their states’ governors. D.C. [sued](https://time.com/7314592/dc-sues-trump-national-guard/) the Administration last week over its deployment of over 2,000 federal troops in the city, describing their presence as a “military occupation.” “Deploying the National Guard to engage in law enforcement is not only unnecessary and unwanted, but it is also dangerous and harmful to the District and its residents,” said D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb. A federal judge earlier [ruled](https://time.com/7313929/trump-national-guard-la-los-angeles-marines-judge-ruling/) that Trump’s deployment of the Guard in Los Angeles in response to anti-immigration [protests](https://time.com/7292232/la-protests-trump-best-photos/) was illegal due to troops' use in civil law-enforcement functions. “The violations were not one-off acts by individual servicemembers but were rather the function of systematic and willful orders to troops to execute domestic law,” Judge Charles R. Breyer of the Federal District Court in San Francisco, saying the troops’ use suggested an effort to create a “national police force.” Since deploying federal forces in Los Angeles and D.C. this summer, Trump has threatened a number of other cities with potential crackdowns over crime and immigration. Trump indicated last month that Chicago was next in his sights, prompting the city to [prepare](https://time.com/7314593/chicago-trump-national-guard-ice/) for the presence of federal troops in recent weeks. The Department of Homeland Security [announced](https://time.com/7315444/trump-immigration-crackdown-ice-sanctuary-cities/) an immigration enforcement campaign in the city on Monday called Operation Midway Blitz, as well as launching a similar operation in Massachusetts over the weekend. However the full-scale crackdown on crime in Chicago that Trump has [suggested](https://time.com/7314045/trump-announcement-chicago-baltimore-national-guard/) has not yet materialized. Crime in [D.C.](https://time.com/7309133/dc-crime-stats-trump-national-guard/) and [Chicago](https://time.com/7311770/chicago-trump-crime-stats/), as in many other American cities, climbed during the COVID-19 pandemic but has been on a marked decline in the last couple years. ## Transcript [00:00] I'm announcing a historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, [00:05] bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse. [00:10] This is Liberation Day in DC and we're going to take our capital back. [00:15] We're taking it back under [00:18] the authority vested in me as the president of the United States, [00:21] I'm officially invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. [00:27] You know what that is. And placing [00:29] the DC Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control. [00:35] And you'll be meeting the people that will be directly involved with that. [00:40] Very good people. [00:42] But they're tough and they know what's happening and they've done it before. [00:47] In addition, I'm deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, [00:52] order and public safety in Washington, DC. [00:56] And they're going to be allowed to do their job properly. [00:58] So today, we're declaring public safety emergency in the District of Columbia. [01:04] And Attorney General Pam Bondi, [01:06] who is who's fantastic, [01:07] is taking command of the Metropolitan Police Department as of this moment, [01:13] and I'll be making the appropriate notifications to Congress and to the mayor. [01:18] Our new DEA administrator, [01:20] who's one of the top in the country, [01:22] he better be Terry. [01:24] If you're not going to get rid of you so fast, Terry. [01:27] Cole. Terry. Thanks. Very good. [01:29] We just just got him. [01:31] Most highly recommended person. [01:33] And you'll be designated as [01:35] the interim federal commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department. [01:40] Okay. And you run them tough. They're good. [01:43] You have a lot of good people. [01:44] You have people that shouldn't be there. [01:46] You also have people that shouldn't be there. [01:48] They got in there because of woke. [01:50] But you have a lot of great police. [01:52] And those people are the ones that want to help you. [01:54] This city will no longer be a sanctuary for illegal alien criminals. [02:00] We will have full, seamless, [02:02] integrated cooperation at all levels of law enforcement and will [02:06] deploy officers across the district with an overwhelming presence. [02:10] You have more police and you'll be so happy. [02:14] So the process begins right now. [02:18] It actually started over the weekend and we confronted a lot of very bad people. [02:23] But it's it's going to be something that will be pretty amazing to you as you watch it. [02:29] And I think most of you say it's a beautiful thing to do it right. [02:33] We're going to be removing homeless encampments from all over our parks, [02:38] our beautiful, beautiful parks, [02:40] which now a lot of people can't walk on. [02:43] They've been very they're very dirty, [02:45] very, uh, got a lot of problems. [02:49] But we've already started that. [02:51] We're moving the encampments away, [02:53] trying to take care of people. [02:55] Many places that they can go. [02:57] And we're going to help them as much as you can help. [03:00] But they'll not be allowed to turn our capital into a wasteland for the world to see. [03:07] The Metropolitan Police Department and the federal authorities will [03:10] be supported in the effort. [03:13] A really big effort. [03:14] The 800 D.C. National Guardsmen that will put on. 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