Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser called for statehood for the District of Columbia Monday after President Donald Trump announced measures to address crime in the nation’s capital.
Trump announced the deployment of the National Guard to combat crime in the District of Columbia days after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine, known by the moniker “Big Balls,” was severely injured when he intervened to prevent a carjacking. Bowser claimed during her remarks that residents of D.C. had a “tenuous” situation with regards to “democracy.”
“The home rule charter requires the mayor to provide the services of [The Metropolitan Police Department] during special conditions of an emergency and we will follow the law,” Bowser said during her remarks. “Though there is a question about the subjectivity of that declaration. In fact, the chief has already provided a high-level liaison and point of contact with the federal government and made those initial contacts.”
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“The executive order is also clear that the president has delegated his authority to make requests of us through Attorney General Pam Bondi,” Bowser continued. “I have reached out to attorney general Bondi and hope to schedule a meeting soon. My message to residents is this: We know that access to our democracy is tenuous. That is why you have heard me and many, many Washingtonians before me, advocate for full statehood of the district of Columbia.”
According to Article I of the Constitution, Congress can exercise control over the nation’s capital. Congress granted the District of Columbia “home rule” in 1973, but Congress can disapprove legislation passed by the D.C. government.
Crime in the District of Columbia became a hot-button issue after Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, an intern for Republican Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas, was fatally shot on June 30. In a fact sheet released Monday, the White House detailed how much crime took place in the nation’s capital.
“There were 29,348 crimes reported in Washington, D.C. last year, including 3,469 violent offenses, 1,026 assaults with a dangerous weapon, 2,113 robberies and 5,139 motor vehicle thefts,” the fact sheet stated, while also noting that D.C. had the fourth-highest homicide rate in the country.
The White House also accused the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of “cooking the books” around crime statistics, citing a local news report about one high-ranking MPD official being suspended over allegations regarding the manipulation of crime data.
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