Councilwoman Brooke Pinto called on five newly elected Democratic governors to withdraw their states’ National Guard troops from Washington, D.C., once they take office next year.
Pinto made the plea during a public hearing at the D.C. Council on Thursday, two days after the midterm elections.
“I am very hopeful and optimistic that we now have the partners we need at the state and congressional level to push back and demand that this unnecessary, harmful, and unlawful military presence be removed from the district,” she said.
The local lawmaker said five states — Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, and Texas — account for 628 active National Guard troops in the district. There are over 3,000 troops in Washington as of this week, about 2,000 troops below the summer high during the nation’s 250th anniversary.
In August 2025, President Donald Trump activated National Guard units from red and blue states that were willing to aid the administration’s mission in cracking down on violent crimes in the nation’s capital.
The deployment to the district largely survived legal challenges in court, and the National Guard was ordered to remain in Washington until the next president’s inauguration in January 2029. Trump can terminate the order earlier if he wishes.
Democratic candidates Keisha Lance Bottoms, Rob Sand, Aaron Ford, Amy Acton, and Gina Hinojosa won the governor’s offices in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, and Texas, respectively, this week.
“We are calling on them to withdraw their troops immediately,” Pinto said, “and it’s something they can do their first day in office.”
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Democrats swept the midterm elections across the board on Tuesday, taking control of both chambers of Congress and assuming a majority of governor’s offices nationwide. During Thursday’s hearing, Pinto noted that the Republican-controlled Congress has been “unsympathetic” or “directly hostile” to the D.C. Council.
The National Guard deployment in the district may also face objections from the socialist mayor-elect, Janeese Lewis George, who has strongly opposed the military presence in the city. It’s possible she will defy Trump on the issue. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who leaves office in January 2027, cooperated with the administration when the National Guard first arrived in Washington last year.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
