DC Council Testimony
Expert testimony before the DC Council Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety on the federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police and strategies to strengthen local self-rule.
Key points
Executive Director David Seidman testified before the DC Council Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety on March 9, 2026, outlining strategies to strengthen DC's authority over its own public safety administration after the 2025 attempted federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police.
Federal overreach into local policing. The attempted federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police represents an unprecedented assertion of federal control over a local police force, raising serious constitutional questions about the limits of federal authority over the District.
Impact on DC residents. When the federal government controls local policing, DC residents lose accountability over the officers who patrol their neighborhoods, a fundamental right that residents of every state take for granted.
Legal and policy strategies for self-rule. There are concrete legal and policy strategies the Council can pursue to reassert local authority, strengthen home rule protections, and push back against federal overreach into DC governance.