Operational Control and Oversight Challenges

I'm Scott Detro and this is Trump's Terms from NPR . Every episode we bring you one story from NPR's coverage of the Trump administration with a focus on actions and policies that take the presidency into uncharted territory. Here's the latest from NPR From NPR News, I'm Leila Falded. NPR has learned that several Democratic governors have sent National Guard troops to Washington, DC as part of the surge in law enforcement ahead of the America two hundred and fifty celebrations. It's the first time Democrats have sent troops to the city, amid President Trump's ongoing and controversial National Guard deployment. For more on what this means we're joined by NPR's cat Lawndorf good morning, Kat. Hey, good morning. Which states with Democratic governors have sent their guard to DC in recent weeks . Well, we're up to four so far, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, and Minnesota. I reached out to all of those governors' offices and each told me they sent their guard here to DC for the official bipartisan America to fifty events happening, which is pretty standard. States historically send guard to help with big national celebrations like inaugurations, that kind of thing. What isn't standard about this is the broader context of the city right now, where thousands of troops have been deployed for months patrolling the city. Right. I mean, we see them all the time. There's been a continuous and increasing National Guard presence here in Washington. Yeah, exactly. Uniformed armed troops. I see them every day, like you said, walking my dog, going to work . Trump ordered this controversial deployment last August as part of a larger effort to fight crime, which was already trending down here. And more than a dozen Republican governors offered up their guard to help. There are now more than forty eight hundred troops here. This is the first time Democrats have sent any. But Democrats, you're saying, have told you that their Guardin members were sent for America two hundred and fifty celebrations, not for broader law enforcement. Can the two be separate? Well, that is the tricky part. I put that question to Beau Trumatir, counsel with the nonprofit legal center protect Democracy, which has been following this DC deployment closely. It's impossible as a practical matter to disentangle any America to fifty orders and operations from the broader ongoing DC operation and everything that the Joint Task Force is doing day to day . You know, does security for the America two hundred and fifty event mean securing the whole city, for example? Will guard members from these democratic states be patrolling residential neighborhoods? Will they be guarding the reflecting pool, Trump's latest political flashpoint. I put some of these questions to the governor's offices as well as the joint task force here, and I didn't really get a clear answer. And you know, the broader context of all of this is that we've seen this administration use the National Guard in unprecedented ways domest several times over the past year. How much control do the governors have over their guard once they're in DC ? So all state troops here are under what's called Title thirty two status. Basically that means the federal government pays, but the governor of each state technically maintains control of their guard. Minnesota officials have been adamant that there are more than a hundred guard members here are only for America two hundred and fifty purposes and not anything quote, political, or executive . Michigan and North Carolina told me something similar. But once troops are in DC, the governors don't necessarily have a clear line of sight into what they're being asked to do day to day. This seems to already have become a problem for Kentucky , which only has one guard member here right now, but that still prompted a surprising response from the governor's office. Scottie Ellis, governor Andy Bashir's Coms director, told me that member was, quote, diverted to the task force by the federal government without the knowledge or consent of the governor. Governor Whitmer's office in Michigan seemed confused to learn that the more than one hundred Michigan troops here are listed as part of the federal joint task force. They said they'd been reassured they'd only be used for America two hundred and fifty purposes . I did reach out to the Joint Task Force about all of this confusion, and in a statement, a spokesperson responded saying they can't comment on specific mobilization orders, but they said that all guard members in DC right now are under the Joint Task Force operational structure, but that doesn't change their specific mission. That's NPR's at Kat Laundorf. Thank you, Kat. Thank you And before we go, a plug for the best way to hear Trump's terms and all of NPR's political coverage, the NPR app. Check out other shows in the podcast tab or try out the NPR podcast mix, a collection of shows and stories ated by NPR editors . And make sure to follow your favorite shows so you are always caught up on the latest episodes. I'm Scott Detrew. Thanks for listening to Trump's Terms from NPR.