One Year Later, DC Vote Says Federal Takeover Underscores the Urgency of DC Statehood

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeannette O’Connor, [email protected]

One Year Later, DC Vote Says Federal Takeover Underscores the Urgency of DC Statehood

Washington, DC (August 7, 2026) – On August 11, 2025, President Trump held a press conference where he announced the federal takeover of the Washington, DC police and the deployment of National Guard troops to the city. One year later, the federal takeover underscores the urgency of DC statehood.

Following is a statement from Amy Vruno, Executive Director of DC Vote.

“One year later, the verdict is clear: this unprecedented federal takeover has come at an enormous cost to Washington, DC, and taxpayers around the country, while failing to deliver on its central promise.

“Residents were told this extraordinary intervention was necessary to make the District safer. Instead, it has disrupted lives, strained communities, and treated the nation’s capital as a testing ground for federal overreach. Meanwhile, independent reporting has raised serious questions about whether the deployment itself made a meaningful difference in reducing violent crime. 

“And despite those results, taxpayers across the country are now being asked to spend an additional $1.4 billion to keep National Guard troops in Washington through the end of President Trump’s term. That decision was made over the objections of the people who live here—a stark reminder that as long as DC is denied statehood, Washingtonians can be forced to bear the costs and consequences of decisions they have no meaningful power to stop.

“But the greatest damage extends beyond the numbers. Over the past year, the federal government has demonstrated just how vulnerable 700,000 Washingtonians remain because we are denied the same rights of self-government enjoyed by every American living in a state. No community should have its local decisions overridden or its public institutions commandeered at the whim of a president.

“This anniversary is about more than looking back. It is a reminder that as long as DC remains without statehood, every resident remains one political decision away from losing control over their own local government. No amount of tinkering with Home Rule can solve that fundamental injustice.

“That is why DC Vote is launching a new national campaign, “51 on the Agenda,” to take the issue of DC statehood on the road, so that members of Congress hear about the importance of DC statehood from key states around the country. We are also launching DC Vote Action, a 501c4 organization, that can bring new tools to the fight for statehood. The American people deserve to know which elected officials are prepared to take meaningful action to admit Washington, DC as the 51st state.

“One year after this federal takeover began, the lesson could not be clearer: the only lasting solution is DC statehood.”