For Immediate Release: August 26, 2025
Contact: Renee Alves, (559)-916-5939
Charleston, WV— West Virginia’s and Louisiana’s governors have each committed and sent hundreds of National Guard members to deploy to Washington D.C. in an act of federal overreach that has not been requested by D.C.’s elected leaders and leaves their own states’ residents less safe.
The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and Invest in Louisiana stand with D.C. residents and organizations calling for the immediate recall of our states’ National Guard troops. D.C.’s elected leaders have not asked for our states’ assistance—and have been clear in their opposition to the overt federal presence in their city.
In each of our states, the National Guard has a long and proud tradition of service. In addition to protecting our states, they are among the first on the ground when disaster strikes—from deadly flooding to hurricanes—helping our people recover and rebuild. Using them as political props for a vague, ill-defined, and unwanted deployment in D.C. puts them and the residents of D.C. in harm’s way and sets a blueprint for military takeovers of cities across the country. Deploying our troops as political props also pulls them away from their families and jobs, leaving our states less prepared when real emergencies happen at home.
“It’s currently the height of hurricane season in Louisiana, and our National Guard soldiers are needed at home—not deployed as political props in a city where they aren’t wanted,” said Jan Moller, executive director of Invest in Louisiana. “This week Louisiana remembers the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast 20 years ago. Following that tragic storm, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco refused a request from then-President George W. Bush to federalize the National Guard. She understood how important it was for the Guard to remain under local control, not used for federal law enforcement. Gov. Jeff Landry should remember that important lesson, listen to D.C.’s elected leaders, and bring our troops home.”
“Governor Morrisey should immediately recall and bring our National Guard members home to West Virginia. The people of our state are proud, independent, and fiercely protective of our local control. It’s easy to imagine what the response would be if the federal government deployed another state’s National Guard in one of our cities over the vehement opposition of our elected leadership. Deploying our National Guard to Washington D.C. when the city’s elected leaders have made clear their opposition to federal presence in their city is in conflict with our West Virginia values,” said Kelly Allen, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy.
This Administration is using D.C. as a testing ground to normalize military force—without the presence of any real crisis—setting a dangerous precedent for how it may respond to states and localities that assert their independence.
The people of Washington D.C. deserve the same autonomy and representation in Congress that each of our states’ residents enjoy. They go to work, raise their families, and try to live as best they can just like everybody else in this country.
We call on Governors Landry (LA) and Morrisey (WV) to immediately recall all members of our states’ National Guard from D.C. in order to better support our safety at home, as well as to respect the autonomy and dignity of the residents of D.C. Our governors should be focused on what’s happening at home—rising costs, a weakening labor market, and federal slashing of our public safety net—instead of scoring political points off the backs of D.C. residents.
We further call on all of our members of Congress to support Washington D.C.’s fiscal autonomy by passing a fix to restore the $1 billion funding cut forced on them earlier this year and rejecting anti-Home Rule riders that exert control over D.C. local decision-making.
