On September 10, 2025, a dramatic chapter in Washington, D.C.’s ongoing struggle over local autonomy came to a close. President Donald Trump’s 30-day emergency control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officially expired, returning authority over the city’s police to Mayor Muriel Bowser. Yet, the federal footprint in the nation’s capital remains unmistakable, as National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers will continue to patrol city streets for at least two more months under extended orders, according to multiple reports including 7News, CNN, and NPR.
The saga began on August 11, 2025, when President Trump, invoking the 1973 Home Rule Act, declared a “crime emergency” in D.C. The move allowed him to activate the D.C. National Guard and take direct control of the MPD. While the law grants the president this extraordinary power, it also sets a clear limit: such control can last only 30 days unless Congress votes to extend it. As the deadline approached, the political winds shifted, and the White House signaled it would not seek an extension. House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed he would not push for a continuation, effectively returning police authority to Bowser.
The White House, for its part, has been quick to tout the results of the federal intervention. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pointed to more than 2,000 arrests since the federal surge began in early August as evidence that the crackdown on violent crime was working. “Our great men and women of law enforcement, both federal and local working together as they should, made an arrest on a warrant for assault with the intent to kill. The subject shot two adult males after an altercation,” Leavitt said, highlighting a high-profile case among many.
Crime statistics released by the Metropolitan Police Department and cited by NPR lend some support to these claims. Between August 7 and September 8, 2025, overall crime in the city dropped by 15% compared to the same period the previous year. Violent crime fell by 39%, and carjackings plummeted by 74%—just 12 incidents compared to 47 the previous year. However, the data also reveal that of the more than 1,669 people arrested during the federal surge, only about 20% faced felony charges. The vast majority were picked up for misdemeanors, warrants, traffic offenses, or saw their cases dropped by prosecutors.
Despite the White House’s celebration of these numbers, the federal intervention has been deeply controversial. City officials, residents, and students have staged protests across D.C., denouncing the military-style presence and federal overreach. On the eve of the emergency’s expiration, college students from Howard, George Washington, and American Universities rallied, criticizing both Trump and their own campus leaders for not speaking out forcefully enough. Tourists, too, have expressed discomfort. “This country has always been safe, right? That’s why we are here, especially immigrants, not to be around so much of military,” said Zaida Saleh, a visitor from overseas, to 7News. “A lot of immigrants come from other countries where they are around all of that extremism and military, and all that.”
Mayor Bowser, for her part, has walked a careful line. While she has acknowledged that the Trump administration’s intervention contributed to a drop in gun crimes, homicides, and carjackings, she has also warned of a “break in trust between police and community, especially with new federal partners.” Bowser stressed the need for more police, prosecutors, judges, prevention programs, and—above all—local control. In early September, she issued an order to ensure continued cooperation with federal law enforcement after the emergency ended, but clarified that this was “not an extension of the ‘Trump emergency’ but rather a framework for how to get out of it after Sept. 10.” At a news conference, she declared, “I want the message to be clear to the Congress: We have a framework to request or use federal resources in our city. We don’t need a presidential emergency.”
President Trump himself shifted his stance in the final days of the takeover. Having previously threatened to push for an extension, he instead praised Bowser’s cooperation and the apparent drop in crime. On Truth Social, he wrote, “Mayor Muriel Bowser of D.C. has become very popular because she worked with me and my great people in bringing CRIME down to virtually NOTHING in D.C.” While this claim of “crime free zone” is an exaggeration, the data do show a significant decline in several categories of crime during the federal intervention.
Even as the direct federal control ends, the city’s relationship with federal authorities remains fraught. The deployment of the D.C. National Guard has been extended through at least November 30, 2025, according to Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II. The duration of deployments from other states’ National Guards is less clear, and further extensions could require new legislative action. Bowser’s order for indefinite coordination with federal law enforcement, as reported by CNN, reflects a pragmatic approach to maintaining security while seeking to restore local authority.
Meanwhile, the political battle over D.C.’s future is heating up on Capitol Hill. Republicans are preparing to advance more than a dozen bills that would give Congress greater power over the District, including control over appointments such as the city’s attorney general and changes to the criminal justice system. Proposals range from prohibiting “soft-on-crime” sentencing policies to lowering the age at which juveniles can be tried as adults, and even imposing penalties for camping outdoors on public property. Democrats, on the other hand, have renewed calls for strengthening D.C.’s home rule, with Senator Chris Van Hollen and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton reintroducing legislation to grant the city full control over its police and National Guard. As Norton put it, “Republicans in Congress may have the ability to impose their will on D.C., but I will not make it easy for them. These bills are yet further evidence of why we need D.C. statehood.”
For now, city residents may not notice a dramatic change on the streets, as federal agents and National Guard units remain a visible presence. But the debate over who truly governs the nation’s capital—its residents or Congress—shows no signs of abating. The events of the past month have laid bare the tensions between public safety, civil liberties, and the fight for local self-determination in Washington, D.C., leaving the city at a crossroads as it looks toward an uncertain future.
