The president weighed in on the governance of the nation’s capital.
The federal government should take over running Washington, President Donald Trump said on Feb. 19.
“I think we should take over Washington, D.C.,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
Republicans have in recent years sought to overturn home rule for the nation’s capital, a Democratic stronghold that has had a degree of self-governance since 1973 but is still largely beholden to the U.S. Congress.
“I think that we should govern [the] District of Columbia,” Trump said. “It’s so important, the D.C. situation. I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it flawlessly beautiful.”
Trump said that, in his view, the police force in Washington is not being utilized properly and that there is too much crime in the city.
Officials are “not doing the job, too much crime, too much graffiti, too many tents on the lawns, there’s magnificent lawns and there’s tents,” Trump said. “It’s a sad thing. Homeless people all over the place. We’ve got to take care of the homeless, but I can’t have that in Washington, D.C.”
The president also said he did not want foreign heads of state or government to see homelessness on their visits to Washington.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) recently introduced a bill that would repeal home rule. They cited what they described as failures of governance, including a recent bribery charge against a councilman.
Similar legislation was introduced in the previous Congress but did not pass.
The Home Rule Act, which Congress passed in 1973, established the framework for local governance in Washington, including the Council of the District of Columbia. Under the act, Congress reviews all legislation passed by the council before the legislation can become law and gives Congress authority over Washington’s budget.
Some lawmakers, including Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, have supported elevating the capital city to becoming the 51st state, a proposal that has also failed.
Bowser’s office did not respond to a query on Trump’s remarks. In comments made after Republicans introduced the new bill, he said, “Home Rule is a limited self-government, but what we should be focused on is our pathway to becoming the 51st state.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
