Ohio National Guard staying in DC through November, governor says

The Ohio National Guard will continue deploying troops in Washington, D.C. through the end of November, the state’s governor announced on Wednesday.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), who sent 150 troops to the nation’s capital last month, said he agreed to a request from the Secretary of the Army for a troop extension through Nov. 30.

“While some of the Ohio National Guard members will be rotated, Ohio will continue to provide 150 military police to carry out presence patrols,” DeWine said in a statement. “None of these military police members are currently serving as law enforcement officers in the state of Ohio.”

President Trump last month deployed an estimated 934 troops from the D.C. National Guard to patrol the nation’s capital, and Republican governors collectively provided an additional 1,340 National Guard troops from their own states to assist in the law enforcement efforts, according to estimates provided by the Pentagon late last month.

The Army last week signed off on a plan to extend the D.C. National Guard troop deployment through Nov. 30. The extension does not apply to troops sent from other states, whose governors must approve their deployment.

Trump last month also invoked his 30-day emergency authority over the District’s police force, which expired Wednesday night. Congress declined to vote to extend the authority, which Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said was “not necessary,” pointing to the cooperation from local government officials.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) authorized coordination between local police and federal forces, in an executive order. Bowser, whom the White House has praised for her cooperation during the takeover, said her order provides a framework for how to exit Trump’s emergency, not extend it.

House Republicans took up a slate of bills Wednesday aimed at overhauling the criminal justice system in the nation’s capital and reducing the District’s autonomy over its local government.