White House / President·National Guard
Hegseth expands National Guard equipment in D.C. as Democrats urge governors to pull troops
War Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized National Guard members in Washington, D.C., to use marked police vehicles, Humvees, light tactical vehicles and boats through year-end to support law enforcement, including drug operations, under an Oct. 29 memo obtained by Politico and reported by the Daily Wire; Guard members remain barred from making arrests, and federal officers must be aboard Guard boats. D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto said Thursday she will urge incoming Democratic governors in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas — states that together account for about 628 Guard members now in the capital — to withdraw those troops once they take office, the Washington Examiner and Daily Wire reported. The Daily Wire said the D.C. mission, first ordered after a crime emergency declaration in August 2025, is currently expected to run through Inauguration Day 2029 and has been estimated at about $1.4 billion through the end of 2028.
- Daily WireTrump Gives D.C. Troops New Muscle As Dems Plot National Guard Exit
- Washington ExaminerBrooke Pinto calls on five Democratic governors-elect to pull National Guard troops from DC