President Donald Trump backed proposals for a federal government takeover of Washington, D.C., claiming that the local government was “not doing the job” on crime and homelessness.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Wednesday, Trump said the mayor of the US capital, Muriel Bowser, and her administration were not “doing the job,” citing too much crime and graffiti and too many tents on lawns, referring to homeless people.
Republicans have recently pushed to reverse home rule for the District of Columbia, a Democratic bastion that has had some self-government since 1973 but remains mostly dependent on the United States Congress.
Washington, DC operates under a mayor-council form of government, but its autonomy is limited by Congressional oversight due to the Home Rule Act of 1973.
The US President says he does not want foreign heads of state or government to see homelessness on their visits to Washington.
Republican lawmakers introduced a bill two weeks ago that would eliminate the District of Columbia’s local government, including the elected mayor and city council.
This would also enable Congress to legislate for its 700,000 people, 44 percent of whom are African American.
The bill has been named the Bowser Act in reference to the Black mayor of DC, Muriel Bowser.
Similar legislation in 2023 failed to pass and remains unlikely to pass under Senate rules.
