Maloney, Norton, Van Hollen, Carper, Brown Celebrate House Passage of D.C. National Guard Home Rule Act

Press Release

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), and Congressman Anthony Brown (D-MD) announced that their District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act, which would give the D.C. mayor control over the D.C. National Guard (DCNG), passed the House yesterday as an amendment to the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Currently, the president controls the DCNG, while the governors of the states and territories control their National Guards. This is the second time in history either chamber of Congress has given the mayor this authority. The House did so last year, too.

"The District of Columbia mayor is the chief executive for D.C. and has the best knowledge and most reliable expertise about when to deploy its own National Guard," the members said. "The D.C. National Guard Home Rule Act simply gives the District's chief executive the same authority afforded to governors of states and territories over their Guards. This bill might have ended the insurrection hours earlier on January 6th, and would afford D.C. a critical element of home rule as it moves toward statehood. We will work to ensure the provision is included in the final fiscal year 2023 NDAA."

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