President Donald Trump's unprecedented decision to place the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control has put a spotlight on a 50-year-old law that governs the relationship between the federal government and the territory: the District of Columbia Local Home Rule Act.
Enacted on December 24, 1973, the Home Rule Act was the result of decades of advocacy by Washington, D.C., residents seeking a greater voice in local affairs. For most of its history prior to that time, the nation's capital was governed directly by Congress. The act established an elected mayor, a 13-member District of Columbia Council, and advisory neighborhood commissions, marking a major step toward self-government.
At the same time, the law left important federal controls in place. Congress can block any local legislation and controls the city's budget, while the president appoints its judges. The law also prohibits the District of Columbia Council from legislating on issues such as taxing nonresidents, changing building height limits, changing court structures, granting public loans for private projects, or assuming authority over certain federal facilities.
Section 740: Federal Control of Police
Although most of the Local Self-Government Act addresses legislative and budgetary authority, Section 740 contains an extraordinary provision: it allows the president to temporarily take control of the Metropolitan Police Department for"federal reasons" when "special emergency conditions" exist.
Under Section 740(a), once the president makes such a decision, the mayor of Washington, D.C., must provide whatever police services the president deems “necessary and appropriate.” This authority is limited in duration:
- Initially, federal oversight cannot last longer than 48 hours without written notice to the leaders of key congressional committees.
- The total oversight period cannot exceed 30 days unless both the House and Senate pass a joint resolution authorizing an extension.
- Oversight automatically ends when the emergency ends, the 30-day period expires, or Congress votes to terminate it.
Trump's invocation of Section 740
On August 11, 2025, Trump became the first president in the history of the law to invoke Section 740. In a speech at the White House, he declared “Liberation Day in Washington, D.C.,” describing the city as rife with “crime, bloodshed, mayhem, and squalor.” He ordered the police force under the command of Attorney General Pam Bondi and announced the deployment of 800 National Guard troops.
Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged the city's need to comply with the law, but called the measure"disturbing and unprecedented" and renewed her call for statehood in Washington, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith pledged to cooperate with federal partners.
Several reports highlighted that Trump's grim portrayal of crime in the District of Columbia clearly contradicted city data, which shows violent crime at a 30-year low and homicides down 26 percent this year. Supporters, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Josh Hawley, applauded the measure as necessary for public safety.
Federal power versus statehood
Although the law expanded local governance, it was designed to preserve federal power over the capital. Section 740's policing provision exists precisely because of the city's unique status as the seat of the federal government.
Historically, federal authorities have relied on other mechanisms, such as deploying the Washington, D.C., National Guard to respond to emergencies in the city. But Section 740 offers presidents a direct, short-term avenue to use local law enforcement for federal purposes, bypassing local decision-making.
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District's non-voting representative in the House of Representatives, called Trump's measure an"egregious attack" and re-proposed her long-proposed statehood bill, which would give Washington, D.C., complete control over its police force, budget, and laws. Unless Congress acts, Trump's control over the D.C. police will end in mid-September.
