Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser is renewing her call for D.C. statehood after the events that unfolded Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol.
Bowser laid out her “priorities” for the district during a Thursday press conference, explaining what she wants to see addressed by the new Congress before denouncing the “domestic terrorism” that took place. (RELATED: DC Mayor Extends Public Emergency For 15 Days)
“First, we must get statehood on the President’s desk within the first 100 days of the 117th Congress,” she began. “Congress must immediately transfer command of the District of Columbia National Guard from the President of the United States and put it squarely under the command and control of the Mayor of the District of Columbia.”
The D.C. Mayor, unlike state governors, does not have the power to activate the D.C. National Guard. That power resides with officials in the Department of Defense.
Bowser requested the activation of the National Guard days before supporters of the President arrived on Capitol Hill. This differs from her position in June of last year when Bowser thanked governors for not sending National Guard soldiers to the district amid the Black Lives Matter protests expected to take place.
She continued by calling on Congress to create a “nonpartisan commission to understand the catastrophic security failures that happened at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.”
“More immediately we know the current president must be held accountable for this unprecedented attack on our democracy,” she went on. “What happened yesterday is what he wanted to happen. And we must not underestimate the damage he can do to our nation and our democracy over the next two weeks.”