Common Cause is making it clear: our National Guard should serve the people — not Trump’s agenda.

This week, Common Cause Ohio held a powerful press conference at the Ohio Statehouse calling on Governor Mike DeWine to immediately bring the Ohio National Guard home. The deployment of troops to Washington, D.C. — at the request of President Trump — is a dangerous step towards authoritarianism.

No elected leaders in Washington, D.C. asked for this. Not the Mayor. Not the City Council. And certainly not the residents — many of whom have lived their entire lives without full representation in our democracy.

What’s really happening in D.C.?

Let’s be clear: President Trump has declared a phony “state of emergency” in Washington, D.C. in an effort to distract from his own failures. Crime in D.C. is at a 30-year low, yet he’s deploying federal troops and demanding that governors like DeWine send in their own state’s National Guard units.

Trump’s D.C. takeover is a preview of his nationwide strategy to crack down on dissent. With the Trump administration reportedly planning to place National Guard troops on 24/7 standby, this authoritarian takeover could soon come to a city near you.

This is not about safety. It’s about fear,suppression, and control.

And it’s not the first time Trump has tried this. In Los Angeles, in Portland, and now in D.C., he’s repeatedly used the National Guard to suppress dissent and punish communities that don’t back his political agenda.

D.C. residents are under attack — and they have no vote in Congress to stop it.

More than 700,000 Americans live in D.C.. They pay more in federal income taxes than residents in 22 states. Nearly half are Black. But they have no voting representation in Congress — making them an easy target for abuse by a power-hungry president and his allies.

That lack of representation is no accident — and Trump is exploiting it. Earlier this year, he slashed local D.C. programs, overrode city laws, and now he’s trying to take control of the city’s police force with a federal appointee who answers only to him.

This isn’t how democracy is supposed to work. This is authoritarianism.

How we’re fighting back:

Across the country, Common Cause members are rising up to stop this takeover:

• 2,250 calls to Congress urging them to end Trump’s phony emergency declaration.
• Over 300 calls to governors in nearby states like South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama, urging them not to send National Guard troops to D.C.
• Over 37,000 petition signatures calling for an end to this federal overreach.

Our partner organizations like Free DC are organizing rallies, sign-posting campaigns, and daily noise demonstrations across the District. Together, we’re showing the Trump administration that D.C. will not be silenced — and neither will the rest of us.

TAKE ACTION

Congress has the power – and responsibility – to stop this. 

Lawmakers just introduced resolutions in the House and Senate to STOP Trump’s phony “emergency” and return power to D.C. officials. Now it’s on all of us to demand our members of Congress act now and pass it.

This is about all of us.

D.C.’s lack of power is a threat to our democracy. If Trump can militarize the nation’s capital today, who’s to say he won’t do the same in your city tomorrow?

This fight isn’t just about D.C. It’s about whether our leaders will stand up to Trump’s authoritarian ambitions or capitulate. Whether they’ll listen to the voices of their constituents — or the demands of a president trying to rewrite the rules.

We’re not backing down. And with your help, we’ll STOP Trump’s D.C. takeover.