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National Guard troops to stay on Washington, DC, streets through 2026
Politics
National Guard troops to stay on Washington, DC, streets through 2026
By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN
Updated 5:36 PM EST, January 16, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — National Guard troops will be on the streets of Washington, D.C., until the end of the year, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press. ... The memo, signed by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and dated Wednesday, said “the conditions of the mission” warranted an extension past the end of next month to continue supporting President Donald Trump’s “ongoing efforts to restore law and order.”
Meanwhile, Trump has at least temporarily dropped his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, which had provoked legal challenges. He also backed off a bit Friday from his threat a day earlier to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to quell protests in Minnesota.
Since Washington is a congressionally established federal district, as president, Trump has much greater control over the police and D.C. National Guard, which he can control directly. This has enabled him to sidestep the legal challenges that he has faced in some states. ... Trump activated 800 members of the D.C. National Guard in August under an emergency order. Those numbers were quickly augmented by troops from states run by Republican governors.
{snip}
National Guard troops to stay on Washington, DC, streets through 2026
By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN
Updated 5:36 PM EST, January 16, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — National Guard troops will be on the streets of Washington, D.C., until the end of the year, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press. ... The memo, signed by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and dated Wednesday, said “the conditions of the mission” warranted an extension past the end of next month to continue supporting President Donald Trump’s “ongoing efforts to restore law and order.”
Meanwhile, Trump has at least temporarily dropped his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, which had provoked legal challenges. He also backed off a bit Friday from his threat a day earlier to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to quell protests in Minnesota.
Since Washington is a congressionally established federal district, as president, Trump has much greater control over the police and D.C. National Guard, which he can control directly. This has enabled him to sidestep the legal challenges that he has faced in some states. ... Trump activated 800 members of the D.C. National Guard in August under an emergency order. Those numbers were quickly augmented by troops from states run by Republican governors.
{snip}