Weeks of walking a political tightrope are finally set to pay off for Muriel Bowser, the Democratic Washington, D.C., mayor whose city’s police force has been under federal control for nearly a month.
President Donald Trump’s 30-day emergency order to take over the Metropolitan Police Department to combat crime will expire Wednesday, capping off a weekslong balancing act by Bowser to show measured resistance while appealing to calls from Republicans and some residents to address public safety better.
Neither GOP-controlled chamber of Congress plans to hold votes to extend Trump’s takeover, power afforded to him by the district’s limited local autonomy. A vote would have been blocked by Senate Democrats’ filibuster powers, but nonetheless could have offered Republicans their latest ammo to accuse progressives of being soft on crime.
Bowser’s pledge to coordinate with federal law enforcement indefinitely, paired with welcoming the surge of federal officers who’ve worked alongside city police, appears to have satisfied the White House and a range of GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA).
“This sustained partnership between President Trump and D.C. will ensure violent crime continues to be addressed,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “Other Democrats across the country should follow Mayor Bowser’s lead.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), even as he’s locked in a contentious primary challenge, said there’s “good cooperation now between Mayor Bowser and the administration, and she’s seemed [to] welcome support.”
“The mayor has made statements about the fact that she wants a safe city. It doesn’t sound like they want that in Chicago or Illinois right now,” said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY), nodding to clashes between Trump and Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL).
Bowser’s office declined to comment. In recent days, the progressive mayor has stepped up efforts to wind down the administration’s takeover, which has included armed National Guard troops and military vehicles patrolling the streets of the nation’s capital.
She’s condemned the deployment and the use of masked federal agents — mostly Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other Department of Homeland Security officials — to nab alleged illegal immigrants off the streets. But the mayor has praised the help of other federal agencies, crediting them with lowering crime and being an ally to a local police force in need of help. Trump appeared pleased with the appreciation for federal resources from the “liberal Democrat,” despite being someone who he said “hasn’t gotten exactly along with Republicans over the years.”
“I want the message to be clear to the Congress: We have a framework to request or use federal resources in our city,” Bowser said Wednesday, as she advocated the end to Trump’s control. “We don’t need a presidential emergency.”
Bowser reportedly lobbied D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb against suing the administration to end the “illegal deployment” of the National Guard, a move that came on Thursday and could escalate tensions with Trump. Pressed in the hours after the suit was filed, Bowser declined to address the supposed rift with Schwalb and told reporters that “my 100% focus is on exiting the emergency, and that’s where all of our energies are.” Schwalb did not respond to a request for comment.
The mayor’s latest partnership with the feds was on display Friday as she and an array of local and federal law enforcement officials, including D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, held a press conference announcing arrests made in the recent killing of congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym.
“Violence in our city is unacceptable, and certainly, someone just walking up the street in the evening on one of our D.C. streets should be safe in doing so,” Bowser said.
Like other city officials, Bowser has been forced to manage friction with the district’s outspoken councilmembers. Most of them, including those vocal in their criticism that Trump’s “authoritarian” takeover is a “power grab,” did not respond to requests for comment about their views on Bowser’s navigation of the saga.
At-Large Councilwoman Christina Henderson, one of the two Independents who serve alongside 11 Democrats, said in an interview that tough questions remain about what daily life will look like in the district with more feds policing the streets and a decline in law enforcement trust due to ICE raids. She added that constituents have expressed a desire for Bowser to present more aggressive resistance like other Democratic mayors in Trump’s crosshairs, such as Chicago’s Brandon Johnson and Baltimore’s Brandon Scott. But Henderson also acknowledged Bowser is up against a Republican-dominated Washington.
“I think that the mayor has been having to walk a tightrope, and it’s been even tighter, especially since Republicans have full control of the Congress,” Henderson said. “This was an exercise in us, internal D.C. government, needing to be tighter in terms of our communications with one another about what’s going on.”
While scores of elected Democrats on Capitol Hill and in governors’ mansions continue to lambast Trump, Senate Democrats’ most centrist figure simultaneously heaped praise on Bowser and downplayed the president’s National Guard deployment that liberals have condemned as an occupation.
“It’s not a big deal, OK? They’re just friendly, they’re approachable, and it’s not like an occupying force. They’re not like Russian soldiers or whatever. I mean, that’s our sons, daughters, mothers, and these are Americans,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said. “I want to salute the mayor [for] the way she has chosen to respond.”
Plenty of Republicans would have supported a bill to extend Trump’s authority. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), a centrist and vulnerable member, expressed openness to the district but remained opposed to sending the National Guard to other blue cities floated by Trump. The president does not require additional authority to maintain a National Guard presence in the district.
Just hours before it was revealed that House GOP leaders would decline a vote, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), who is advocating a six-month extension for Trump’s police takeover, predicted the lower chamber would take some degree of action.
“The unique nature of the district, I don’t have a problem with it, particularly if you got a mayor that thinks it’s helpful,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said of federal involvement. “Extending it elsewhere, I got a problem.”
Despite leadership turning down the opportunity to address Trump’s control over the nation’s capital, House Republicans in the coming weeks still plan to consider other district-related measures to combat crime and further expand the federal government’s authority in the city, such as a push to make the D.C. attorney general a presidential appointee rather than an elected position. The House Oversight Committee has a markup scheduled for Sept. 10, with 14 bills on the docket.
Other Republicans are far more skeptical of Bowser’s sincerity in tackling crime once federal control and the National Guard pull back. Any senator could attempt to pass legislation extending Trump’s authority unanimously, but any Democrat would quickly shoot it down.
BOWSER COMMITS DC POLICE TO COORDINATE WITH FEDERAL OFFICERS INDEFINITELY, CITING CRIME DECREASE
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) laughed when asked if he trusts Bowser’s handling of public safety moving forward.
“Let me think about that — no. I’m not the biggest fan of hers,” he said.
Lauren Green contributed to this report.