D.C. council member urges five new governors to pull National Guard troops on day one; 628 troops involved

D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto said at a council hearing on November 5 that she will write on behalf of the council to the incoming Democratic governors of Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas, urging them to withdraw their National Guard troops from Washington on their first day in office. The five states account for 628 troops, about a fifth of the 3,097 National Guard members currently deployed in the District.

Pinto: at last, partners to work with

Pinto, who chairs the council's public safety committee, said in her opening statement: "I am very hopeful and optimistic that we now have the partners we need at the state and congressional level to push back and demand that this unnecessary, harmful and unlawful military presence be removed from the District." She also urged Democrats to step up oversight of federal law enforcement once they take the congressional majority in January, including a ban on federal agents wearing face coverings and requirements to display identifying badges and body-worn cameras.

Deployment since August 2025, costing $55 million a month

President Trump deployed the National Guard to the streets of Washington in August 2025 under the "Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful" mission. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the deployment costs $55 million a month, and it is currently scheduled to last until Inauguration Day 2029. Of the five states, Georgia has 514 troops in the District and Iowa has 110, with the rest from Nevada, Ohio and Texas.

Same day: defense chief expands Guard powers

In memos signed on October 29 and obtained by The Associated Press, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the National Guard in Washington to use up to 60 marked patrol cars, tactical vehicles, patrol boats and light towers, expanding the scope of patrols. Delegate-elect Robert White also testified at the hearing, saying he wants the troops out before the deployment ends in 2029, and citing the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

(Sources: CNS Maryland; City Cast DC; Associated Press reporting. Photo: file photo of a D.C. Council hearing.)