Bowser continues to push back on Trump's call for federal government to take over DC
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser continues push for DC statehood
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is continuing to push back against calls for a federal takeover of the District — now backed by President Donald Trump — by making the case for the District of Columbia to become the 51st state.
WASHINGTON - D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is continuing to push back against calls for a federal takeover of the District — now backed by President Donald Trump — by making the case for the District of Columbia to become the 51st state.
"The question for us is how do we maintain the pathway to the 51st state," Bowser said. "We're Americans. We pay taxes. We go to war. We have all the responsibilities of citizenship but we don't have all of the rights."
This isn't a new push for the mayor but it is a direct rebuff of President Trump’s statement from earlier this week, saying that he supports a bill brought forth by two Republican senators that would strip D.C. of its autonomy.
Pushing for Federal Control
The backstory:
Two Republican lawmakers introduced the "Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident (BOWSER) Act back on Feb. 6. also seeking to overturn home rule.
Similar legislation failed to pass back in 2023.
The Home Rule Act of 1973 — hard-fought legislation — is what lets residents of D.C. elect the mayor and council but with limited power because the president, along with congress, can overturn district laws.
But the president says D.C. isn't doing enough when it comes to crime and homelessness, though data from the district and the metropolitan police department shows violent crime at the lowest rate in three decades.
"I like the mayor. I get along great with the mayor but they're not doing the job," Trump said, speaking to the press on Air Force One Wednesday night. "Too much crime, too much graffiti, too many tents on the lawns. Magnificent lawns and tents."
Bowser Pushes Back
What She's Saying:
At the National Press Club Friday, Mayor Bowser also called for reduction in the federal workforce to be done in an orderly and humane way, saying there are roughly 600,000 federal workers in the region, with about 70,000 of them being D.C. residents.
"Our focus is on being supportive of our residents and calling on our government to not use a chainsaw but figure out which jobs we need and which jobs we don't," she said.
The mayor went on to say there are shared priorities between the feds and local D.C. government, including lowering crime and beautification. She said she had reached out to the White House following these latest comments. It's not clear if she's heard back yet.