'We should take over': Trump backs GOP push to have federal government control DC

WASHINGTON - Speaking from Air Force One Wednesday night, President Donald Trump said the federal government should "take over" D.C. He complained about crime and homelessness in the District and said that the federal government would "make it safe."

"I think we should take over Washington, D.C.," Trump said. "I think that we should govern District of Columbia."

Under terms of the city’s Home Rule authority, Congress already controls D.C. laws and has the power to overturn them but some congressional Republicans have sought to go further, eroding decades of the city’s limited autonomy and putting it back under direct federal control, as it was at its founding.

Who introduced the idea of taking over D.C.?

The backstory:

Utah Senator Mike Lee and Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles introduced a bill earlier this month aimed at stripping D.C. of its ability to govern itself. 

The bill is named the"Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident (BOWSER) Act" — a categorical strike on D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has been at the center of ire among Republicans who have criticized the way the city is run.

Lee and Ogles have historically been critical of Bowser and the D.C. Council. 

In a statement announcing the bill, Ogles wrote "Washington is now known for its homicides, rapes, drug overdoses, violence, theft, and homelessness. Bowser and her corrupt Washington City Council are incapable of managing the city. As such, it seems appropriate for Congress to reclaim its Constitutional authority and restore the nation’s Capital."

"The corruption, crime, and incompetence of the D.C. government has been an embarrassment to our nation’s capital for decades," said Lee. "It is long past time that Congress restored the honor and integrity of George Washington to the beautiful city which bears his name." 

Trump said he likes Bowser personally, but complained about the city’s governance.

"They’re not doing the job," Trump said. "Too much crime, too much — too many tents on the lawns — these magnificent lawns."

He argued that he can’t have sights of homelessness when he hosts foreign leaders in Washington. "You just can’t let that happen," Trump said. "You can’t have tents on all your beautiful — your once magnificent plaza and lawns."

Bowser responds

More on the D.C. government

Dig deeper:

The D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973 allows the city to elect its own mayor and council.  It’s also allowed for D.C. to choose Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners to handle community concerns. 

Congress still maintains control over D.C., including the ability to review all local legislation and appoint the city’s judges. D.C. has no voting member in Congress, though it has a nonvoting Delegate.