Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Steven S. Nordhaus on Aug. 25 for written answers on the scope, mission, legal authority and cost of the National Guard deployment in Washington, according to her office. Norton requested a response by Friday, Aug. 29.
In a letter released by her office on Monday, Norton said she opposes the deployment and pressed for clarity on whether troops have law-enforcement powers, what rules govern the use of force, what training has been provided and how much the operation has cost to date. The request also asks whether any Guard personnel have been deputized by a law-enforcement agency and whether the troops are subject to District law while operating in the city, according to the statement.
“D.C. did not request or consent to the mass deployment of National Guard troops, who were recently authorized to carry weapons in the District despite D.C.’s crime rate being at a 30-year low,” Norton said, as quoted by her office. “A tenet of our democracy is that the military does not engage in civilian law enforcement, and it is not trained to do so in any case, which puts servicemembers and the public at risk.”
Norton asked the Defense Department and the National Guard Bureau to answer eight specific questions:
- Do the troops have authority to enforce the laws of the United States or the District of Columbia? If so, which statute authorizes them to do so?
- Have the troops been deputized by a law enforcement agency? If so, which agency has deputized them?
- Do the troops have authority to stop, detain or arrest people? If so, which statute authorizes them to do so?
- What is the use of force policy for the troops?
- What training have the troops received?
- What is the mission of the troops?
- Are the troops subject to the laws of the District of Columbia?
- As of the date of your response, how much has this deployment cost?
“I urge you to end this gross abuse of power and withdraw the troops immediately,” Norton said, as quoted by her office.
What’s next: Norton’s office said it expects written responses by Aug. 29. Any subsequent action will likely depend on the agencies’ answers about legal authority, mission scope and costs.
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