Trump admin to ask Congress to extend federal control of DC cops past 30-day limit

President Donald Trump stated his intention to extend the federalization of the Washington, DC police force, telling reporters on Wednesday he will be asking Congress to pass a crime bill on the matter extending it beyond the 30-day time limit.

Trump said he would be seeking "long-term extensions" from Congress via a crime bill that would allow him to continue his efforts on cracking down on crime in the nation's capital. The bill will "pertain initially to DC" but serve as a "very positive example" for other areas of the country, the president said during a press briefing at the Kennedy Center.

The president's remarks follow his decision to place the DC Metropolitan Police Department under federal control on Monday, August 11, when he invoked an emergency provision of the Home Rule Act, which allows presidents to take control of the District's police force for 30 days under emergency conditions. To extend power beyond 30 days, Congress must pass a joint resolution.

"We're going to be asking for an extension on that, long-term extensions, because you can't have 30 days. 30 days is, that's, by the time you do it - we're going to have this in good shape... We're going to do this very quickly, but we're going to want extensions," Trump told reporters.

He had said earlier in the response that "if it's a national emergency, we can do it without Congress," but later added, "I don't want to call a national emergency. If I have to, I will. But I think the Republicans in Congress will approve this pretty much unanimously."

Democrats have pushed back on Trump's move, including the mayor of DC, Muriel Bowser, who referred to the president's effort as an "authoritarian push." However, Trump and several key players of his administration, such as Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, have defended the federalization of the police force, suggesting the move is imperative to make the nation's capital "safe again." The president also deployed the National Guard to Washington, DC.

While announcing the invocation of the House Rule Act, President Trump proclaimed it was "liberation day" in the District of Columbia, and asserted, "We're going to take our capital back."