Trump says he’ll declare a national emergency “if I have to” as Congressional Republicans face a choice between enabling authoritarianism or upholding rule of law
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Donald Trump is threatening to keep National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. indefinitely—with or without Congressional approval. He’s already floated bypassing lawmakers entirely by declaring a “national emergency,” warning, “If I have to, I will.”
This is the latest in a string of authoritarian moves: a dangerous deployment based on false claims of violence, made over the objections of Mayor Bowser and local leaders.
Now, Congressional Republicans face a choice: stop Trump’s power grab or once again fold to his increasingly extremist agenda. Instead of defending democracy, they’re shielding him from accountability—covering up scandals, pushing sham hearings, and enabling the militarization of our nation’s capital.
In response, the Congressional Integrity Project released the following statement:
“Donald Trump unilaterally sent the National Guard into our nation’s capital, steamrolling local officials to distract from his refusal to release the Epstein files and his sinking poll numbers. Now he’s threatening to extend their deployment indefinitely—with or without Congressional approval—a dangerous power grab that demands immediate pushback from Congress.
“Congressional Republicans face a stark choice: defend the Constitution and the rule of law, or keep rolling over to Trump’s authoritarian demands. Instead of holding him accountable, they’re enabling him to militarize our capital and setting the stage for troop deployments in other cities. It’s time for Republican leaders to stop the sham hearings, stand up for their constituents—and for our democracy—and say: enough is enough.”
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