National Guard troops deployed to Washington have been authorized to carry “service-issue weapons,” according to two defense officials familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity to discuss the deployment.
“At the direction of the Secretary of Defense, JTF-DC members supporting the mission to lower the crime rate in our Nation’s capital will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training,” the Pentagon said in a statement Friday. “The Interim Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard retains the authority to make any necessary force posture adjustments in coordination with the D.C. Metropolitan Police and Federal law enforcement partners.”
Many of the troops are deployed in high-tourist areas like Union Station, near the Washington Nationals ballpark and in metro stations.
President Donald Trump had deployed the Guard to the city as part of what he describes as a crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital. “The crowds are coming back, the spirit is high, and our D.C. National Guard and Police are doing a fantastic job,” he wrote on Truth Social on Friday. “They are out in force, and are NOT PLAYING GAMES!!!”
Trump’s deployment of the guard came at the same time as his efforts to federalize the city’s police operations under the Home Rule Act, the 1970s law that grants the District limited self-governance. He cited a public safety emergency in Washington, though crime in the city hit a 30-year low last year.
Trump on Friday said he would ask Congress for $2 billion to tackle construction and beautification projects around Washington. He would not commit to a timeline for when his federal takeover would end.
“And then the big question is how long do we stay? If we stay, we want to make sure [crime] doesn't come back,” he said Friday. “It is my ambition when we're complete we can take everybody out and you have a great capital.”
The Trump administration has indicated it would investigate the city’s police department to see if it falsified data to artificially lower crime numbers.
“Mayor Muriel Bowser must immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures, or bad things will happen, including a complete and total Federal takeover of the City,” he wrote on Truth Social on Friday.
The Justice Department has touted arrest numbers since the efforts began.
“Just yesterday we made 40 arrests, took 5 more illegal firearms off our streets, and had 36 ICE arrests —including a suspected MS-13 gang member,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X on Friday.
In addition to deploying the D.C. National Guard, troops are coming from states controlled by Republicans — like Tennessee and West Virginia — where governors have pledged their help in Trump's efforts. Federal agencies, including the FBI and ICE, also have law enforcement personnel on the ground.
Just 17 percent of Washington residents back the White House’s efforts to federalize the police department and deploy the National Guard, according to a poll from The Washington Post/Schar School.
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