House Lawmakers Approve Amendment to Defense Spending Bill Giving DC Mayor Command of City’s National Guard

The U.S. House of Representatives on July 13 voted to adopt an amendment to the annual defense spending bill that hands command of the capital city’s National Guard over to the mayor of Washington, D.C.

The measure (pdf) was approved in a mainly party-line vote of 218–209 to be added to the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Specifically, the amendment would give command of the D.C. National Guard to Mayor Muriel Bowser, as opposed to the president, who currently oversees the force in Washington, D.C.

In other states across the United States, governors are in charge of their respective national guards.

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) joined Republicans in opposing the amendment to the NDAA, while Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) supported the measure.

Two Republicans and one Democrat did not vote. House lawmakers are expected to pass the full NDAA this week.

In a statement on Wednesday Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Anthony Brown (D-Md.), and Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who represents the District of Columbia, cited the Jan. 6 Capitol breach as a reason for the amendment.

“On January 6, 2021, as our democracy was under attack, D.C.’s mayor was unable to call out the D.C. National Guard, wasting hours and potentially costing lives,” the members said.

“If the authority to control the D.C. National Guard were to be given to D.C.’s mayor, as governors of the states and territories control their National Guards, it would be the biggest expansion of home rule for the District since the 1970s. The January 6th attack on the Capitol demonstrated why this authority belongs in the hands of D.C.’s mayor and not the president.”

‘Completely Unacceptable’

However, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) called the amendment “completely unacceptable” during a debate on the House floor on Wednesday.

“The president is the chief executive of the federal government and its capital city,” Clyde said, while noting that under the amendment, Bowser would have complete

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