President Donald Trump suggested he might skirt Congress to extend his control of the Washington, D.C., police force, a move lawmakers could run into headfirst when returning to the Hill next month.
President Donald Trump signaled he may skirt Congress to extend his takeover of the Washington, D.C., police, and some congressional Republicans are heeding the call.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said he would vote for extending Trump’s authority but didn’t believe that Senate Democrats would budge and support giving the president more time.
«I’m absolutely in favor of President Trump doing whatever he needs to do», Marshall told Fox News Digital. «Of course, we want to follow the Constitution, and I need to go back and read what he can do and not do, but I think it’ll take a 60-vote threshold in the Senate to pass this resolution.»
The provision allows for the president to effectively federalize the local police force for up to 30 days, unless Congress, through a joint resolution, grants him an extension. But questions remain over whether that kind of resolution would hit the Senate’s typical 60-vote threshold or if it could pass through a simple majority.
Trump on Monday invoked a section of the Home Rule Act that governs the district to give himself the authority to take control of the Metropolitan Police Department and has since sent in National Guard troops, alongside FBI and DEA agents, to patrol the streets.
