| President Donald Trump’s 30-day takeover of D.C.’s police force is set to expire today. But don’t expect much to change on the ground. Let’s rewind and catch up to what the president has done in the capital. (Olivia George and Joy Sung have a full timeline of the crackdown here.) Trump took control of the city’s police force last month and sent in the National Guard to assist it, vowing to stop violent crime and beautify the city. The president has the right to take over the city’s law enforcement for 30 days without the approval of Congress under the law that grants D.C. its own government; any longer takeover requires an okay from Congress. The president is also the top commander of the city’s National Guard. Trump’s 30 days expire today, and congressional Republicans have not indicated a desire to extend the authorization. But the close collaboration of between the White House and Washington’s law enforcement is likely to continue. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an executive order last week for city police to assist federal efforts indefinitely. Trump is also likely to continue deployment of the National Guard in the city, and he is not backing off on Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts — neither of which need congressional approval. House Speaker Mike Johnson said yesterday that Bowser’s “indefinite welcome mat” for troops and federal agents in the city meant there was no need to extend Trump’s takeover. House Republicans are still planning moves to codify major changes to D.C.’s criminal justice system today. The House Oversight Committee will vote on several bills impacting the district’s autonomy from Congress, including the creation of a 60-day review period for the city council’s legislation (up from 30 days for most bills) and the codification of Trump’s urban beautification effort. “The House Oversight Committee stands ready to back the President’s swift action by advancing comprehensive legislative reforms that empower District law enforcement and tackle the escalating juvenile crime crisis head-on,” Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), chair of the Oversight Committee, said in a statement. “Every resident and visitor deserve to feel safe in our capital, and together with President Trump, the Committee will fulfill its constitutional duty to oversee District affairs and make D.C. safe again.” But despite the mayor’s cooperation, many city residents and officials were furious that the federal partnership was thrust on them. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued Trump, saying his use of the National Guard in policing the city was illegal. Bowser’s acquiescence hasn’t been without controversy, as our colleagues Paul Schwartzman, Meagan Flynn and Jenny Gathright chronicled earlier this week. She’s in a tough spot. On the one hand, she is determined to defend the district’s autonomy. On the other, antagonizing the Trump White House could backfire as Republicans regularly muse about repealing some of the city’s limited self-government powers. So how effective has the president’s law enforcement effort been? It’s hard to assess, said Thomas Abt, director of the Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction at the University of Maryland. Crime had been steadily decreasing for months before Trump’s takeover of the police force, coming down from highs that peaked in 2023. Violent crime is down 27 percent from this time last year, with homicide down 17 percent and robbery down 32 percent, according to data published by D.C.’s police department. Abt said it would be difficult to determine how much of that can be credited to the White House. Abt added partnerships between federal and local law enforcement are nothing new and are often highly productive. But those partnerships have historically been tightly focused on specific dangerous individuals or groups. “But that’s not really the collaboration that we’re seeing here. What we’re seeing here is a lot of relatively unfocused efforts that are not focused on the highest-risk people and places,” Abt said. “Some of that may be happening but that is clearly not the main focus.” That isn’t stopping Republicans from declaring victory and urging other cities to follow D.C.’s model. The White House and congressional Republicans have feted the law enforcement takeover as a success story. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday that 2,177 arrests have been made since the initiative kicked off on Aug. 11. “The president would love to do this in every Democrat-run city in the country and he hopes that more Democrats will call the White House to help them,” Leavitt said. “We are very grateful for the mayor’s cooperation in this effort and we look forward to continuing to work with her and the Metropolitan Police Department.” | 
