See below for reactions by Virginia members of Congress – or in James Walkinshaw’s case, almost certainly a member of Congress after the special election in VA11 on September 9 – to Trump’s announcement this morning that he’s placing “Washington DC police under federal control and will deploy national guard.” All because, he falsely claims, crime is “out of control,” even as “violent crime in the capital hit a 30-year-low in 2024, according to the justice department.” So what’s actually going on with this? According to the following statement by VA11 Democratic nominee James Walkinshaw, “It’s yet another transparent attempt to distract from the crises Trump has created — a failing economy, rising prices, and his Administration’s cover up of the Epstein files.”
For sure, that’s definitely part of it. But it’s also about Trump wanting to be a dictator, asserting his will over localities, etc. All of which are really, really bad. Plus, of course, the assault by Trump and his minions on empirical fact and reality itself continues to be relentless…and incredibly damaging. Last thought: why aren’t there tens of millions of Americans engaging in non-violent protests on a regular basis? Is everyone comatose or what?
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Statement from James Walkinshaw on Trump’s National Guard Deployment
Fairfax, VA — Today, Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw (D-Braddock), Democratic nominee for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, released the following statement on Trump’s National Guard Deployment.
“During Trump’s first term as President, violent crime spiked nationally and in D.C., driven by his failure to address the COVID crisis and the culture of chaos and law-breaking that he embodies. Thankfully, since then, violent crime has decreased and
Deploying the National Guard will do nothing to improve public safety in D.C. It’s yet another transparent attempt to distract from the crises Trump has created — a failing economy, rising prices, and his Administration’s cover up of the Epstein files.”
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James Walkinshaw has devoted his career to ensuring that Northern Virginia remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family. He served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Gerry Connolly for more than a decade, stood up to the Trump Administration on the Board of Supervisors, and now he’s running for Congress to stop Trump’s dangerous agenda and deliver for Fairfax.
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KAINE STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT TRUMP PLACING D.C. POLICE DEPARTMENT UNDER FEDERAL CONTROL AND DEPLOYING NATIONAL GUARD
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following statement after President Trump signed executive orders to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under federal control and allow the deployment of the D.C. National Guard:
“If President Trump really cared about safety in D.C., he would have immediately deployed the National Guard on January 6, 2021, and wouldn’t have pardoned hundreds of rioters who broke into the Capitol that day, including individuals convicted of assaulting police officers. Crime is at a 30-year low in D.C., making these steps a waste of taxpayer dollars and an unnecessary escalation clearly designed to distract Americans from issues like rising prices and incompetence from the Trump Administration.”
National Capital Region Delegation Statement On Trump’s Police Actions In The District Of Columbia
August 11, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (VA-8), Steny Hoyer (MD-5), Jamie Raskin (MD-8), Jennifer McClellan (VA-4), Glenn Ivey (MD-4), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Sarah Elfreth (MD-3), Eugene Vindman (VA-7), and April McClain Delaney (MD-6) today issued the following statement on President Trump’s announcement that he would temporarily federalize the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and deploy the National Guard in the District of Columbia:
“Donald Trump has personally incited more crime in Washington D.C. than perhaps anyone else living. He pardoned the violent criminals who attacked our Capitol on January 6th and put them back in American communities. He even made a man who was filmed urging the crowd to kill D.C. police officers a senior adviser at the Justice Department.
“Trump’s “temporary” takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department is not intended to prevent crime, it is a soft launch of authoritarianism. Trump has a longstanding pattern of seeking showy displays of power. As he has shown repeatedly, Trump is working to serve himself and is not concerned with keeping American families safe in cities and towns across our country.
“Inflicting new bureaucracy on the Metropolitan Police Department and clouding their work with heavily politicized National Guard deployments is not a solution to crime. By taking law enforcement away from vital missions for this stunt, for instance pulling counterterrorism officers away from their mission and DEA agents away from fentanyl interdiction, Trump’s misuse of federal police harms crime prevention efforts across the country.
“Crime in our nation’s capital is at historic lows today, but still too high for those who are victimized. We want to build on recent crime-fighting successes in ways that respect, protect, and empower Washingtonians. The President’s announcement this morning is an unserious and unacceptable publicity stunt. If he wants to reduce crime in the District of Columbia, he should focus on getting his Republican allies in Congress to restore the funding they arbitrarily stripped out of the city’s budget, which risks cuts to law enforcement and other public safety measures.”
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