Minnesota pulls its National Guard from D.C. early over patrol use
Minnesota is withdrawing its National Guard members from Washington ahead of a planned July 23 return. Governor Tim Walz’s office told NPR the troops were sent to support the America 250 celebrations near the national monuments, but were instead seen on presence patrols in neighborhoods well away from the National Mall — the kind of duty that troops under the president’s federal task force have been performing across the city. Once that became clear, the state decided to pull them out.
The move sharpens a standoff between Democratic governors and the administration over how state Guard units deployed to the capital are being used. Michigan’s 162 troops are scheduled to remain through August 31, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer has warned in writing that she will recall them if there are further reports of her Guard being folded into law enforcement operations. The dispute turns on control: governors retain authority over their own Guard members and are using early withdrawal as leverage when deployments drift beyond the stated mission.