WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders and democracy advocates warned during a press call today that President Trump’s authoritarian takeover of Washington, D.C. creates a dangerous blueprint that could spread to cities nationwide if Congress fails to act. The call featured U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Lisa Gilbert, Co-Chair of the Not Above the Law Coalition and Co-President of Public Citizen; Norm Eisen, founder and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund; Elizabeth Goitein, Senior Director for Liberty & National Security at the Brennan Center for Justice; and Maya Wiley, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
The speakers stressed the urgent need to pass H.J.Res. 115, the joint resolution introduced by Rep. Raskin, Rep. Robert Garcia, Sen. Van Hollen, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton to terminate President Trump’s federal emergency declaration and end his takeover of the District of Columbia.
Trump has deployed National Guard troops to patrol civilian neighborhoods, seized control of the Metropolitan Police Department, and pulled 120 FBI agents off critical missions to patrol tourist areas. Meanwhile, Republican governors of Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, West Virginia, and South Carolina are sending their states’ National Guard troops to Washington, weaponizing state resources for Trump’s political agenda.
The coalition also released an open letter signed by 127 national and local organizations representing millions of Americans, strongly supporting the congressional resolution. The letter condemns Trump’s federal takeover as “a dangerous escalation in his systematic dismantling of democratic governance and the rule of law.”
In their letter, the organizations wrote:
“This isn’t about crime statistics or urban policy—it’s about whether our constitutional system can withstand a deliberate authoritarian assault. Congress has both the authority and the duty to act. History will judge those who fought for democracy and those who remained silent.”
Coinciding with the press call, the Not Above the Law coalition co-chairs published an op-ed in The Hill arguing that Trump’s actions represent “a dangerous power play” that diverts taxpayer-funded resources while Americans struggle with higher prices caused by his reckless tariffs. The op-ed warns that “if Trump can get away with doing it in Washington, D.C., he might try it in your hometown.”