House Lawmakers Approve Amendment to Defense Spending Bill Giving DC Mayor Command of City’s National Guard

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, District officials, and federal partners hold a public safety briefing on preparations for the upcoming 59th Presidential Inauguration, in Washington, on Jan. 15, 2021. Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post

The U.S. House of Representatives on July 13 voted to adopt an amendment to the annual defense spending bill that hands command of the capital city’s National Guard over to the mayor of Washington, D.C.

The measure (pdf) was approved in a mainly party-line vote of 218–209 to be added to the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Specifically, the amendment would give command of the D.C. National Guard to Mayor Muriel Bowser, as opposed to the president, who currently oversees the force in Washington, D.C.

In other states across the United States, governors are in charge of their respective national guards.

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) joined Republicans in opposing the amendment to the NDAA, while Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) supported the measure.

Two Republicans and one Democrat did not vote. House lawmakers are expected to pass the full NDAA this week.

In a statement on Wednesday Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Anthony Brown (D-Md.), and Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who represents the District of Columbia, cited the Jan. 6 Capitol breach as a reason for the amendment.

“On January 6, 2021, as our democracy was under attack, D.C.’s mayor was unable to call out the D.C. National Guard, wasting hours and potentially costing lives,” the members said.

“If the authority to control the D.C. National Guard were to be given to D.C.’s mayor, as governors of the states and territories control their National Guards, it would be the biggest expansion of home rule for the District since the 1970s. The January 6th attack on the Capitol demonstrated why this authority belongs in the hands of D.C.’s mayor and not the president.”

‘Completely Unacceptable’

However, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) called the amendment “completely unacceptable” during a debate on the House floor on Wednesday.

“The president is the chief executive of the federal government and its capital city,” Clyde said, while noting that under the amendment, Bowser would have complete control when it comes to deploying the National Guard as well as appointing its commissioned officers.

Clyde stated that Bowser has “previously attempted to use the D.C. National Guard for political purposes; calling for their withdrawal from the district during the summer riots of 2020 and seeking to significantly limit the D.C. National Guard role to traffic control duties only” prior to the events of Jan. 6.

Bowser previously called on then-president Donald Trump to withdraw thousands of National Guard soldiers and federal law enforcement officers from the capital during protests over the death of George Floyd, stating that city was “well equipped to handle large demonstrations” and that the mass presence of federal law enforcement officers was serving to ignite further protests.

“I can’t believe this even has to be said, but the D.C. mayor is not the governor of a state. And the District of Columbia, which houses our federal government, is not and should never become a state,” Clyde said.

The House’s version of the fiscal year 2022 NDAA also handed over command of the D.C. National Guard to the D.C. mayor, marking the “first in history either chamber had passed a bill giving the mayor this authority,” Norton’s office said.

However, the provision was not included in the final version of the bill owing to Republican opposition, according to the congresswoman’s office.