Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard in DC sparks backlash from residents—but some welcome it
President Donald Trump shared new details on Monday about his plan to take control of public safety in Washington, D.C., following a brutal attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer, but D.C. residents aren’t convinced. – Trump announced on Monday that he is activating the District of Columbia National Guard and seizing control of the Metropolitan Police Department after floating the idea since last week’s assault in Washington’s Logan Circle. Some Washington residents who spoke to Fox News Digital called it a “terrible idea” that “doesn’t make a lot of sense.” “I think D.C. politics should stay with D.C., and, unfortunately, the federal government is apparently overstepping their bounds right now, so I hope that D.C. is allowed to govern itself, as well as police itself,” one Washington resident told Fox News Digital ahead of Trump’s announcement. TRUMP IS THREATENING TO ‘FEDERALIZE’ DC WITH NATIONAL GUARD AND MORE. HERE’S HOW THAT COULD PLAY OUT Trump controversially federalized the California National Guard amid anti-ICE protests that delved into riots in Los Angeles in June. Protesters were rejecting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportations and Trump’s robust immigration crackdown. TRUMP ADMIN CUTTING $20M IN DC SECURITY FUNDING AFTER FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ORDERED TO INCREASE PRESENCE The president bypassed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s authority to deploy National Guard troops to support ICE deportation. It was the first time a president federalized the National Guard in more than 60 years. Now, the tension between local and federal powers is unfolding in the nation’s capital. But just like in California, many Washington residents have concerns about seeing “troops on our streets.” “We have laws for a reason,” one resident told Fox News Digital. “Privatizing security is a terrible idea, and I think anything that Trump does is garbage,” another Washington resident added. Despite their apprehension about National Guard troops patrolling the nation’s capital, many residents said something needs to be done to address crime in Washington, D.C. While the Department of Justice indicated a 30-year low in violent crime last year, concerns about the city’s safety linger, with one resident telling Fox News Digital, “The city is getting dangerous.” “I think it’s a good idea,” one resident said of Trump’s new plan. “It’s something that needs to be done for the city to be safe. Right now, we’re not safe. The kids and the teenagers are doing everything. So yeah, I think that’s a great idea.” And another Washington resident said, “We need all the protection that we can get in the city, because the city is really getting dangerous,” telling Fox News Digital that she has to “make sure to come home before sundown” and she is afraid of getting robbed when she gets off public transportation. “Things do seem out of control and desperate, but I don’t know what kind of numbers to take, what numbers to read. One minute they’ll say crime is out of control. Next minute, they will say crime is down a certain percentage. It’s kind of confusing, and I don’t know who to believe in and which way to go, to be honest,” a Washington resident said, articulating the dichotomy between the low crime statistics and the alarming crime stories. But another D.C. resident said, “There’s no way he should be in control of anything,” and Washington, D.C., “should be a state,” so the district has more power to make decisions for itself. “I don’t think it’s necessary,” another Washington resident added. “I do think there needs to be some change within [the] Metropolitan [Police Department] because safety is an issue.” She added: “It needs to be localized.” Fox News Digital’s Diana Stacy contributed to this report.
Pirro calls out DC laws letting ‘young punks’ off the hook for violent crimes
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., vowed to “change the laws” in D.C. to crack down on what she described as a surge of young people committing violent crimes in the nation’s capital — part of a broader effort President Donald Trump announced Monday that includes deploying hundreds of National Guard troops and temporarily seizing control of D.C. police. Speaking at a White House press briefing Monday, Pirro lamented the share of crime in D.C. she said is being committed by so-called “young punks” in the city, whom she said are often granted probation or other lenient sentences due to their age. “That changes today,” Pirro vowed, flanked by President Trump and other Cabinet members. TRUMP IS THREATENING TO ‘FEDERALIZE’ DC WITH NATIONAL GUARD AND MORE. HERE’S HOW THAT COULD PLAY OUT “I see too much violent crime being committed by young punks who think that they can get together in gangs and crews and beat the [heck] out of you or anyone else,” Pirro said. “They don’t care where they are.” “But they know that we can’t touch them, because the laws are weak,” she said. “I can’t touch you if you’re 14, 15, 16, 17 years old, and you have a gun.” “We need to go after the DC Council and their absurd laws. We need to get rid of this concept of ‘no cash bail,’” she said. “We need to recognize that the people who matter are the law-abiding citizens,” Pirro added. “And it starts today.” FBI OUSTS FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, AGENT INVOLVED IN J6 PROSECUTIONS, WITH MORE EXPECTED Pirro’s remarks came during a broader press conference during which Trump also vowed to deploy hundreds of D.C. National Guard troops into the nation’s capital, in a bid to “reestablish law order and public safety” in D.C. Trump vowed on Truth Social just one day earlier to evict homeless persons from that nation’s capital. “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump said on social media. “We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong,” he said on Truth Social. Violent crime in Washington, D.C., is currently down to a 30-year low.
Trump claims DC crimes trounce stats from notoriously violent cities worldwide
President Donald Trump claimed crimes in Washington, D.C., trounce data from notoriously violent cities in nations such as Mexico and Colombia during his Monday morning press conference announcing he is federalizing the D.C. police department to curb spiraling violence. “The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogota, Colombia, Mexico City, some of the places that you hear about as being the worst places on Earth, much higher,” Trump said Monday. “This is much higher. The number of car thefts has doubled over the past five years, and the number of carjackings has more than tripled. Murders in 2023 reached the highest rate, probably ever. They say 25 years, but they don’t know what that means because it just goes back 25 years can’t be worse.” Trump whipped out charts showing the media that the nation’s capital allegedly suffers worse crime trends than other cities worldwide, calling on them to “take a look at numbers” as he rattled off the data’s findings. “Look at these. Baghdad is … we doubled up on Baghdad. Panama City, Brasilia, San Jose, Costa Rica, Bogota, Colombia. Heavy drugs. Mexico City, I mentioned Lima, Peru, all double and triple what they are. So do you want to live in places like that? I don’t think so. I don’t think so. And I think the people in this room, if you wrote correctly, you’d see. Look at the kind of numbers we have. D.C. 41 per 100,000 (for homicides in 2023). Number one that we can find anywhere in the world. Other cities are pretty bad, but they’re not as bad as that. That the way you want to live? The reporters of the world? Juvenile offenders and crimes against persons as they say, it’s getting worse, not getting better. It’s getting worse,” he continued. TRUMP IS THREATENING TO ‘FEDERALIZE’ DC WITH NATIONAL GUARD AND MORE. HERE’S HOW THAT COULD PLAY OUT Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for copies of the charts, data and its citations, but did not immediately receive a reply. The nation overall saw an uptick in violent crimes in 2020, when protests and riots broke out in cities across the nation at the height of the pandemic. That year notched a nearly 30% increase in murders compared to the year prior, according to FBI data, marking the largest single-year increase in killings since the agency began tracking the crimes. The nation’s capital in the following years has been rocked by shootings that have left innocent children shot and dead, a trend of juveniles committing carjackings that have turned deadly in some cases, shoplifting crimes and attacks on government employees, summer interns and others, including the fatal shooting of 21-year-old congressional intern, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, in June. Trump announced Monday that he was federalizing the local police department starting Monday under section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the president to assume emergency control of the capital’s police force. “This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back,” he said. “We’re taking it back under the authority vested in me as the president of the United States, I’m officially invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. You know what that is. And placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control. … In addition, I’m deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, DC. And they’re going to be allowed to do their job properly.”
Illinois Democrats tell feds to stop trying to ‘usurp’ state authority over immigration
Illinois Democrats are pushing back on Trump-era attacks against the state’s immigration-related policies, arguing the statutes uphold the Constitution, support public safety and leave federal authorities free to do their jobs. “These policies are in accordance with the law, maintain local autonomy, boost local economies, focus law enforcement resources on serving local needs, and promote effective policing strategies that foster trust between police and the communities they serve,” reads a letter by Rep. Jesus Garcia and Sen. Richard Durbin. The letter noted how the Justice Department labeled both Illinois and Chicago as “sanctuary jurisdictions” in its latest public listings, and rebutted the assertion that either the state or city is committing any sort of violation. The letter, backed by several Illinois Democrats, pointed to the state’s TRUST Act – signed by then-Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican. Critics have long called it a sanctuary-style policy for barring police from holding people over immigration status alone. MAMDANI STUDIES ‘AMERICA’S WORST MAYOR’ BRANDON JOHNSON TO AVOID HIS POLITICAL PITFALLS: REPORT “Similarly, the Chicago Welcoming City Ordinance prevents the arrest or detention of an individual solely on the basis of a civil immigration violation and prevents local officials from giving ICE access to detainees unless such access is based on a legitimate law enforcement purpose that is not civil immigration enforcement,” Garcia and Durbin wrote. “Consistent with the Illinois TRUST Act, the Welcoming City Ordinance does not prevent ICE from engaging in immigration enforcement activities,” they said, adding that Cook County – which includes Chicago – has similar policies. They claimed, citing court precedent, that state or local authorities holding people without an immigration detainer violates the Fourth Amendment – while federal detention does not. CHICAGO MAYOR CALLS ICE RAIDS ‘TERRORISM,’ SAYS TRUMP’S AMERICA APPEARS AS IF ‘THE CONFEDERACY WOULD HAVE WON’ “Therefore, in passing these laws, Illinois, Cook County, and the City of Chicago – along with hundreds of other jurisdictions across the country – protect local resources while ensuring compliance with the Constitution and leaving the enforcement of federal immigration law to federal officials.” Garcia, who emigrated from Durango, Mexico, in 1965, went on to ask DHS and the DOJ in return to stop trying to allegedly “usurp” their authority, “as lawmakers who value the rule of law, public safety, and the U.S. Constitution” when it comes to critiquing how Illinois handles immigrants. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “These laws neither impede nor interfere with the enforcement of federal immigration law by federal authorities.” The Justice Department confirmed receipt of the letter but declined further comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to DHS for comment but did not hear back by press time.
Trump takes control of Metro Police, deploys National Guard to take on Washington crime
President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is activating National Guard troops and is taking over the Metropolitan Police Department to tackle crime in Washington, after beefing up federal law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital Saturday. “I’m deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, DC,” Trump told reporters at a Monday press conference. “And they’re going to be allowed to do their job properly.” Trump also said that he would federalize the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington to respond to crime, placing it under the authority of Attorney General Pam Bondi. National Guard troops are reserve forces that are mobilized in response to state and federal operations, including natural disasters, and are typically overseen by their respective state governments. However, Trump controversially deployed National Guard troops from California to respond to immigration riots in June, bypassing the California Gov. Gavin Newsom to dispatch the troops. The federal government oversees the District of Columbia National Guard. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will operationalize the D.C. National Guard, and signaled that more National Guard troops could be roped into the deployment down the line. “You will see them flowing into the streets of Washington in the coming week,” Hegseth told reporters Monday. “At your direction as well, sir, there are other units we are prepared to bring in. Other National Guard units, other specialized units. They will be strong, they will be tough, and they will stand with their law enforcement partners.” Trump’s remarks come just after he promised Washington would be “LIBERATED” from “Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum” in a post on Truth Social Monday morning. He said in the post that the “days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people, are OVER!” Trump floated the idea of taking over Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department and utilizing National Guard troops to manage crime in Washington Wednesday, following the assault of a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer on Aug. 3 in Washington’s Logan Circle. TRUMP THREATENS TO FEDERALIZE DC AFTER EX-DOGE EMPLOYEE ‘BIG BALLS’ VIOLENTLY BEATEN “What a shame – rate of crime, the rate of muggings, killings and everything else, we’re not going to let it, and that includes bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly, too,” Trump told reporters Wednesday at the White House. Trump also told reporters at the time he was open to taking over Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department because crime in the nation’s capital is “ridiculous.” While a temporary federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department is justified in cases of emergency, Trump’s move will likely be challenged in court over whether the situation in Washington qualifies as an emergency. Trump has historically railed against violence in Washington, and said Tuesday that crime is “totally out of control” in the nation’s capital. Meanwhile, crime in Washington is on the decline. Violent crime is down 26% this year, in comparison to the same timeframe in 2024, according to Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department. Likewise, assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 20%, and homicides are down by 12%. WATCH: TRUMP HINTS HE WILL FEDERALIZE DC SOON, BRING IN NATIONAL GUARD AFTER ‘BIG BALLS’ ATTACK Washington’s Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Trump’s description of the city during an interview with MSNBC Sunday, and voiced concerns about the possibility of activating the National Guard to tackle the city’s crime. “Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false,” Bowser said. “I’m concerned about them not being used efficiently, and I just think that’s not the most efficient use of our Guard,” Bowser said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Zohran Mamdani launches anti-Trump tour across Five Boroughs in New York City
Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee, launched a “Five Boroughs Against Trump” tour in the Big Apple on Monday, as President Donald Trump’s agenda takes center stage on the New York City campaign trail. Mamdani began his anti-Trump tour alongside Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., in Manhattan on Monday morning. He plans to visit Brooklyn on Tuesday, Staten Island on Wednesday, the Bronx on Thursday and Queens on Friday, Fox News has confirmed. The 33-year-old self-described socialist’s tour is a rejection of the Trump administration’s sweeping second-term agenda and his so-called “authoritarian” attack on working New Yorkers, specifically, immigration and health care reform. “There is no borough that will be free from Trump’s cruelty,” Mamdani said on Monday. “We will feel the pain of this legislation, whether we are in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens or Staten Island, and we will shine a light this week and every week on the costs of this vision that is coming out of Washington, D.C.” TRUMP CAUTIONS THAT NY WILL ‘NEVER BE THE SAME’ IF ‘COMMUNIST’ MAMDANI IS ELECTED “Donald Trump is waging a full-scale assault on American democracy, dismantling our institutions, attacking our universities and our scientific research base, using government power to serve himself and his donors, and targeting New York City because New Yorkers have always seen him for what he is – a narcissistic, wannabe dictator,” Nadler said during the event on Monday. NY DEMS WHO HAVE YET TO ENDORSE MAMDANI UNITE IN HIS DEFENSE AGAINST TRUMP At the opening “Manhattan Against Trump” event, Mamdani was joined at the 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) by Nadler, NYC Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa, NYC Councilmember Keith Powers, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, Former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger and 1199SEIU member Peggy Vujovick. Mamdani has tied former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to Trump in recent weeks, as the latter remains in the race to run New York City as an independent candidate, despite losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who has developed his own public relationship with the president, is also running as an independent, and CEO of the Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa, is the Republican nominee. “Comrade Mamdani is the American people’s worst nightmare,” White House spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson, told Fox News Digital. “His communist policies will crater our economy, increase crime, crowd out Americans with free health care for illegal immigrants, and defund the brave men and women of law enforcement who keep us safe.” The White House added that “Mamdani’s idea of ‘immigration reform’ is no borders and amnesty for all the violent criminal illegal aliens that Joe Biden released into our country. The American people have repeatedly rejected this Communist agenda and the more Mamdani shares his radical policies, the more the American people will recoil.” As House members return to their home districts during the August recess, Democrats are uniting against Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which narrowly passed through Congress last month, as congressional Democrats seek a united message ahead of competitive midterm elections expected next year. “New York City needs a leader who won’t give Trump an inch, who won’t flinch or bargain away our rights,” Nadler added. “With Zohran Mamdani as mayor, we’ll have a leader who will defend our hospitals, our schools and our neighbors from Trump’s devastating policies. With the right mayor, with the right leadership, we can blunt Trump’s attacks. The New York Times reported last week that Trump recently spoke on the phone with Cuomo and has been speaking with associates about which candidate has the best chance to beat Mamdani in November. Meanwhile, Mamdani has described how his administration would be Trump’s “worst nightmare.” The president was quick to criticize Mamdani when the socialist shocked the political world and secured the Democratic nominee to become the next mayor of New York City in June, calling him a “100% Communist Lunatic.” “We see far too many parallels between Donald Trump and Andrew Cuomo, far too many stories that make clear that both administrations have been characterized by corruption, by a sense of impunity, by an inability of an executive to understand that no means no, a prioritization of the interests of billionaires over working people, and an agenda that is driven by little else beyond the retention and accumulation of power,” Mamdani said Monday.
Trump is threatening to ‘federalize’ DC with National Guard and more. Here’s how that could play out
President Donald Trump is weighing whether to deploy up to 1,000 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., as early as this week, Fox News has learned, in an effort to help deal with what he characterized as a surge in violent crime. The plans come just one day after Trump vowed on Truth Social to evict homeless persons from that nation’s capital. “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump said on social media. “We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.” Trump’s plans, which are expected to be detailed further at a 10 a.m. press conference Monday, would likely involve members of the D.C. National Guard, or the 2,700-member National Guard force that acts at the express authority of the commander in chief. Unlike other branches, Trump would not have to get the sign off of local authorities to act — likely making their activation a tempting option. FBI OUSTS FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, AGENT INVOLVED IN J6 PROSECUTIONS, WITH MORE EXPECTED When speaking to reporters in the Oval Office last week, Trump railed against what he described as a “ridiculous” level of crime in the nation’s capital, buffeted most recently by the assault on a former DOGE staffer earlier this month. “We want to have a great, safe capital,” Trump said last week. “And we’re going to have it.” Trump also told reporters that his White House lawyers are looking into ending the Home Rule Act, a law passed by Congress in 1973 that gave Washington, D.C., residents the right to elect their own mayor and local representatives. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters last week that Trump had ordered law enforcement personnel to increase their presence in the capital, though the additional details on the scope and timeframe of that presence remain unclear. Trump is expected to address those plans in a press conference Monday morning. However, for Trump, delivering on this promise could be fraught with long-term legal complications — in part, because crime in the city is actually down to its lowest point in nearly 30 years. FEDERAL JUDGES GRILL TRUMP LAWYERS OVER ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS ON EVE OF ENFORCEMENT Violent crime in the first seven months of 2025 has dropped by roughly 26% compared to 2024, according to data compiled by the D.C. Police Department and released earlier this month. Overall, crime in the nation’s capital has dropped by roughly 7%. On Sunday, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said in an interview with NewsNation that Washington, D.C., “is more violent than Baghdad.” Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, for her part, told MSNBC in an interview Sunday that “Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false.” However, it’s not the first time Trump has sought to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital — an effort he has returned to frequently, including during his first term in office. Trump in March signed an executive order, “Making DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force,” designed to address issues with a city he has long derided as “filthy,” “horribly run” and “crime-ridden,” among other things. “We want to have a great, safe capital,” he told reporters. “And we’re going to have it. And that includes cleanliness and it includes other things.” However, those powers aren’t indefinite, experts explained to Fox News Digital. Trump does have the authority to activate the 2,700-member D.C. National Guard without the approval of local officials. Guard troops provide “mission-ready personnel and units for active duty in the armed services” in Washington, D.C., according to their website. Beyond that, Trump’s ability to exercise authority in the nation’s capital is bound by the Home Rule Act. In the more than 50 years since that law was passed, “there really hasn’t been a serious conversation about ending home rule governance,” George Derek Musgrove, a history professor at the University of Maryland in Baltimore County, told Fox News in an interview. “And the problem with our federal system is that there are places where Trump really doesn’t have any supporters, and therefore, with the limits of executive power, really doesn’t have that much sway,” Musgrove said. “And he’s constantly probing for ways around that.” Other options available to Trump aren’t without their own limits. In order to call up the local police force for any meaningful length of time, as Trump has suggested, a president must be able to assert “special conditions of an emergency nature,” according to the 1970s law. “If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take federal control,” Trump said last week. However, that’s easier said than done, individuals familiar with the law told Fox News Digital. “DC is just a tempting target because there’s not even a lot of legal gymnastics you have to do in order to exert tremendous power [in a city with ]a 90% Democratic jurisdiction. He has it already,” Musgrove said. “But it is morally questionable, I think, and violates democratic principles,” he added.
Kamala Harris’ major California announcement triggers circular Dem firing squad
It’s open season in the California gubernatorial primary after former Vice President Kamala Harris said she will not pursue a 2026 bid to be Gov. Gavin Newsom’s successor. On July 30, Harris said in a statement that she would not seek elected office “for now.” “In recent months, I have given serious thought to asking the people of California for the privilege to serve as their Governor. I love this state, its people, and its promise. It is my home. But after deep reflection, I’ve decided that I will not run for Governor in this election,” she wrote, just a day before announcing her memoir “107 Days.” CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT DROPS OUT OF GOVERNOR’S RACE TO RUN FOR A DIFFERENT ROLE Since the announcement, there have been many major developments in the race, including Lt. Gov Eleni Kounalakis dropping out to run for treasurer instead. “This decision was not made lightly,” Kounalakis stated on Friday. “At this moment, I believe I can make the greatest impact by focusing on California’s financial future.” Kounalakis is a longtime friend of Harris, and she appeared to have gotten the backing of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before her exit. “We have many great candidates, one in particular, Eleni Tsakopoulos, whom I support,” Pelosi said in a recent CNN interview, calling the Lt. Gov. by her maiden name. KAMALA HARRIS TO PUBLISH BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCOUNT OF FAILED 2024 CAMPAIGN Her decision to drop out triggered a response from Rick Caruso, a Los Angeles real estate mogul who ran against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in 2022. Caruso is considered a potential candidate to enter the gubernatorial race. “Eleni Kounalakis embodies the ingenuity, creativity, and drive that make California great,” Caruso posted to X on Friday. “A widely respected business leader, she has created countless jobs for working families in our state. Her service in public office has been exemplary. I look forward to her next outstanding contribution to our great state.” Meanwhile, the field still has a large pool of candidates, including former Rep. Katie Porter, Biden-era Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. KAMALA HARRIS DECISION NOT TO RUN IN 2026 OPENS DOOR TO POSSIBLE SECOND PRESIDENTIAL RUN IN 2028 Porter previously ran for Senate and came in third in the primary behind Sen. Adam Schiff and former Dodgers star Steve Garvey, a Republican. On the Republican side, Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are running for a spot in the top-two open primary system. Neither Harris nor Newsom has publicly made endorsements in the race, and the two are also considered possible contenders in the 2028 presidential election. The primary election is on June 2, 2026.
Fiscal hawks seek millions for home district projects amid government funding debate
House GOP fiscal hawks have requested tens of millions of federal dollars for projects in their home districts for fiscal year 2026, an analysis by Fox News Digital has found. It’s common practice for congressional lawmakers to request funding for specific community initiatives for the people they represent – measures called “earmarks.” Critics of such funding have often referred to it as “pork,” however. This coming fiscal year, beginning on Oct. 1, is no different – both Republicans and Democrats have requests totaling over a billion dollars in earmarks so far. That includes conservatives in the House of Representatives who have been known to criticize what they describe as excessive or bloated government spending. GOP LAWMAKERS CLASH OVER STRATEGY TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CRISIS House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., for instance, has been approved for more than $55 million in federal funding for projects in his district. The figure includes $9 million for the Middle River Fire Company to make improvements and upgrades to its facilities, and $1 million for the development of a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The majority of Harris’ requests are aimed at rural development in his district and the Army Corps of Engineers. Three earmarks were requested for clean water initiatives. Harris told Fox News Digital when reached for comment on the funds, “These awards are certified to directly benefit taxpayers in the district—drawing from existing grant programs that are funded annually. It’s far better for elected members of Congress to designate where that money goes than to leave those decisions to unelected federal bureaucrats. There are no additional funds appropriated for Community Project Funding – they all fall within the agency’s appropriation.” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., a self-described deficit hawk, was approved for just over $10 million so far. That includes over $4 million for Flexible Neutron Source, a research tool at the University of Tennessee, and $2 million for veterans housing in Knox County. LONGTIME BIDEN AIDE SAYS HE STOOD TO EARN UP TO $8M HAD PRESIDENT WON RE-ELECTION House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was approved for more than $18 million in earmarks – with the largest request being $4,200,000 for the Silicon Bayou Semiconductor Technology Center at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Higgins’ total sum also includes funding for Army Corps of Engineers projects, as well as rural hospital, law enforcement and clean water initiatives. He also submitted a joint request with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., for $131,500,000 toward a levee and floodgate system, called the Morganza to the Gulf of Mexico Project, aimed at storm damage prevention. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., another member of the House Freedom Caucus, got nearly $15 million in community funding projects approved, chiefly aimed at clean water programs and highway infrastructure. Boebert was vehemently against earmarks when she first came to Congress. Her opinion has changed since then, however, due to Republican-led changes to the process – which she explained in a 2023 op-ed in the Aspen Times. She made a similar argument to Fox News Digital when reached for this story: “I fought for real reforms to the appropriations process in 2023 to make sure my constituents’ tax dollars go to necessary infrastructure projects, not the wasteful and corrupt spending schemes that took place under Nancy Pelosi.” “My district’s roads are crumbling, and our water keeps getting sent to California, where it’s wasted, because Colorado’s politicians won’t invest in water storage or infrastructure investments. My constituents pay federal taxes just like everyone else, and they should see their dollars benefit their communities instead of being sent to sanctuary cities like Denver,” Boebert said. Conservative libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., also got some community funding, though only totaling $5 million approved so far. Massie’s requests so far are all focused on construction and rehabilitation for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Massie told Fox News Digital of the funding, “I serve on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee because I believe the federal government has a legitimate role in transportation infrastructure, and the legislature has the constitutional authority to direct the funding of those projects.” “In fact, I have voted in the GOP conference more than once to restore congressionally directed spending in the context of transportation infrastructure,” Massie said. And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., chair of the subcommittee for Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE), got nearly $10 million in earmarks approved for her rural-suburban Georgia district. Those funding requests are largely comprised of infrastructure initiatives, clean water programs, and law enforcement-related projects for Floyd County and other areas. 148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS While known as a fiscal hawk, it’s worth noting that the majority of Greene’s criticism of government spending is directed at foreign aid. Greene said she was glad to be able to provide for her district when reached for comment by Fox News Digital. “I’m proud to bring federal tax dollars back home to Northwest Georgia – where they belong. My constituents work hard, and for far too long, Washington has sent their money to fund foreign wars, foreign governments and globalist pet projects. When I first got to Congress, I opposed the earmark process because I believed it was a tool of the Swamp. But after seeing how it works today, I’ve realized that if we don’t fight to bring money back to our districts, the money goes elsewhere,” Greene said. “I’ll never support billions for Ukraine or other endless wars, but I will absolutely fight to secure critical investments in Northwest Georgia, from water systems and sewer expansions to public safety equipment, roads and broadband.” The aforementioned lawmakers’ spending requests are far from an exhaustive total list across the entire House, but fiscal conservatives’ earmark proposals show just how widespread the practice is within Congress – on both sides of the aisle. Republicans have made some changes to the process as of FY2025, however, to narrow what’s allowed.
Trump considers deploying National Guard troops to DC ahead of news conference, official says
President Donald Trump is considering deploying up to 1,000 National Guard troops to Washington D.C., a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News ahead of a Monday morning Trump news conference on crime in the nation’s capital. The troops would likely be pulled from the DC National Guard, although the decision about sending National Guard troops is not final, the official said. Federal agents have deployed to DC streets in recent days, including officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET in the White House briefing room. Trump said on social media on Sunday that the news conference on crime and “beautification” will “not only involve ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation’s Capital, but will also be about Cleanliness and the General Physical Renovation and Condition of our once beautiful and well maintained Capital.” “Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today!,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. “Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN! The days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people, are OVER! I quickly fixed the Border (ZERO ILLEGALS in last 3 months!), D.C. is next!!!” TRUMP VOWS TO MAKE DC ‘SAFER’ AND ‘BEAUTIFUL’ AS CAPITAL BATTLES CRIME AND HOMELESSNESS Trump described D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser – who publicly clashed with Trump during the George Floyd riots in 2020 – “a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive.” “The American Public is not going to put up with it any longer,” the president wrote. “Just like I took care of the Border, where you had ZERO Illegals coming across last month, from millions the year before, I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN! Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again. Thank you for your attention to this matter — See you tomorrow at 10 A.M.!” The president has reignited his warnings about a federal government takeover of Washington, and said he may even deploy the National Guard over recent crime. Bowser told MSNBC on Sunday that “it is always the president’s prerogative to use federal law enforcement of the National Guard.” Bowser said multiple times throughout the interview that the District is not experiencing a spike in crime. PRESIDENT TRUMP INCREASES FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE IN DC FOLLOWING VIOLENT CRIME SURGE On Sunday, police instituted a juvenile curfew in the popular Navy Yard neighborhood, after a stolen gun was discharged during a large gathering of young people late on Saturday. The incident came even as the White House had deployed a surge of federal law enforcement officers in the city over the weekend. Trump also said the homeless population would have to move “immediately,” posting photos of encampments and trash on the streets. “There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY,’” Trump posted. “We want our Capital BACK.” Last week, Trump teased taking federal control of D.C. after former Department of Government Efficiency employee Edward “Big Balls” Coristine was brutally beaten during an attempted carjacking by teenage suspects. “Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released,” Trump wrote. “They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!” Trump said D.C. law must be changed to prosecute minors accused of violent crimes as an adult and to “lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14.” Fox News’ Mark Meredith and Alexandria Hoff contributed to this report.