Press Release
Published on August 11, 2025
Washington, D.C. — Veterans for American Ideals, a nonpartisan Human Rights First initiative of veterans defending democracy and human rights, strongly condemns the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C. and the federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department.
President Trump has pledged to “liberate” the city by deploying National Guard troops to address crime and homelessness. This is a blatant misuse of presidential power for an issue that does not require military involvement. Violent crime in DC is at a 30-year low according to data collected by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) with a 35% drop in 2024 and a 26% drop as of this August, clearly disproving President Trump’s claims to the contrary.
“This is a clear misuse of military forces against a civilian population,” said Gretchen Klingler, Director of Veterans for American Ideals. “As veterans, we took an oath to defend the Constitution, not to deploy troops on our own streets for political theater. The people of D.C. deserve real, community-based solutions to the social and economic issues they face that prioritize the safety and wellbeing of all residents.”
In his press briefing today President Trump claimed that his military efforts in D.C. will “go further” while alluding to other major U.S. cities, as well as speaking about the potential deployment of other specialized military forces within D.C., indicating a desire to expand martial law tactics across the country.
“President Trump is once again showing his hand with this action,” said Hanah Stiverson, Associate Director of Democracy Protection. “He is not interested in protecting American citizens or our nation’s capital, but only in seizing any opportunity to engage in a show of force to support his authoritarian goals. This is a dangerous escalation of presidential overreach and will have a ripple effect on the security of our democracy and constitutional rights.”
VFAI calls on all congressional leaders to reaffirm our democratic principles, reject authoritarian overreach in our nation’s capital, and pass the D.C. budget bill to restore $1 billion the House removed from the FY25 D.C. budget.
