Why This Matters

President Trump has declared a phony “state of emergency” in Washington, D.C. to justify militarizing the city, federalizing the local police force, and sending in out-of-state National Guard troops against the wishes of D.C. residents and their elected leaders.

This isn’t about crime — which is at a 30-year low. It’s about silencing dissent, distracting from Trump’s failed agenda, and using D.C. as a testing ground for authoritarian crackdowns that could spread nationwide.

And D.C. residents — more than 700,000 Americans, nearly half of whom are Black — are uniquely vulnerable because they have no voting representation in Congress. Despite paying more in federal taxes than 22 states, they’re denied the same voice and protections every state enjoys.

This occupation is an attack on D.C., on democracy, and on all of us.

Our Response

Common Cause is organizing a nationwide campaign to stop Trump’s takeover and defend the rights of D.C. residents. Together with our partners and allies, we are:

• Mobilizing grassroots pressure: Common Cause members have already made over 3,387 calls to Congress and more than 300 calls to governors, as well as 37,000 petition signatures condemning this federal overreach.
  
• Defending democracy in the states: Gemeinsame Sache, Ohio held a press conference urging Governor Mike DeWine to bring the Ohio National Guard home. Similar actions are underway in key states nationwide.
• Supporting D.C. residents’ resistance: Partnering with Free DC and local leaders to show that Washingtonians will not be silenced – from daily noise protests to citywide sign and sticker drives.
• Advancing solutions in Congress: Vertreter Jamie Raskin (MD), Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Representative Sylvia Garcia (TX), and Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD) have introduced a resolution to terminate Trump’s unprecedented power grab over D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department. If passed, this resolution would end Trump’s sham “state of emergency” and restore control of the police to D.C.’s elected leaders — protecting the basic right of District residents to govern their own community.

What You Can Do

Stopping Trump’s authoritarian playbook takes all of us. Here’s how you can help:

• Call your governor and tell them: “Don’t send our National Guard to D.C. to support Trump’s phony emergency.”

Call Your Governor Now

• Tell Congress to support the resolution and reject Trump’s unlawful power grab.

Tell Congress: End the Occupation

• Stand with D.C. residents by amplifying their resistance and demanding full representation for the 700,000 Americans who live in the District.

The Bigger Picture

If Trump can send troops into Washington, D.C. today – purely for political purposes, your town or city could be next.

This fight is about whether America will be a democracy where the people govern — or whether we slide further into rule by fear, intimidation, and authoritarian control.

Common Cause members are rising to this challenge, and together, we will stop this attack on our democracy.