The House has passed legislation to give Washington’s mayor the authority to deploy National Guard troops during a time of an emergency, with the bill’s sponsor pointing to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The measure, which lawmakers passed as part of the chamber’s behemoth annual defense policy bill on Thursday, would grant Mayor Muriel Bowser the same authorities afforded to state governors to mobilize the District’s National Guard.
“The District of Columbia mayor is the chief executive for D.C. and has the best knowledge and most reliable expertise about when to deploy its own National Guard,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep.