Expiring order for D.C. prompts debate

House moves to place new limits as it considers bills that would change district’s laws

- GARY FIELDS AND LEAH ASKARINAM

MEMBERS of the Louisiana National Guard patrol Washington's National Mall amid the emergency order.

President Trump's emergency order over the nation's capital, which federalized its police force and launched a surge of law enforcement into the city, is set to expire overnight Wednesday after Congress failed to extend it.

But the clash between Republicans and the heavily Democratic district over its autonomy was only set to intensify, with a House committee beginning to debate 13 bills that would wrest away even more of the city's control if approved.

Mayor Muriel Bowser's office said the order expires at midnight. The National Guard and some other federal agencies will continue their deployment, and it's not clear when that might end.

Trump's takeover of Washington's policing and Wednesday's discussions in the House underscore how interlinked the capital is with the federal government and how much the city's capacity to govern is beholden to federal decisions.

Order federalized local police force

For the last 30 days, the city's local Metropolitan Police Department has been under the control of the president for use in what he described as a crime-fighting initiative.