Norton-Maloney-Brown Amendment to Give D.C. Mayor Control Over D.C. National Guard to be Considered on House Floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), and Congressman Anthony Brown (D-MD) announced that Committee on Rules yesterday made in order their amendment to the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would give the District of Columbia mayor control over the D.C. National Guard. The committee determines which amendments will be allowed to be considered on the House floor, and because their amendment was made in order, it will be considered on the House floor this week.

"On January 6, 2021, as our democracy was under attack, D.C.'s mayor was unable to call out the D.C. National Guard, wasting hours and potentially costing lives," the members said. "If the authority to control the D.C. National Guard were to be given to D.C.'s mayor, as governors of the states and territories control their National Guards, it would be the biggest expansion of home rule for the District since the 1970s. The January 6^th attack on the Capitol demonstrated why this authority belongs in the hands of D.C.'s mayor and not the president. We applaud yesterday's forward movement and look forward to House passage later this week."

The House's version of the fiscal year 2022 NDAA gave the D.C. mayor control over the D.C. National Guard. When the House passed that bill, it was the first time in history either chamber had passed a bill giving the mayor this authority. The enacted version of the fiscal year 2022 NDAA did not give the mayor this authority because of Republican opposition.

The president controls the D.C. National Guard while the governors of the states and territories control their National Guards.

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