June 26, 2025

Duckworth Introduces Bill to Prevent Trump from Misusing Our Military to Police Their Fellow Americans

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced legislation that aims to curb Donald Trump’s egregious misuse of the military in civilian law enforcement capacities and keep our nation’s servicemembers focused on their core mission of protecting and defending Americans from foreign threats abroad. The Military in Law Enforcement Accountability Act would reform gray areas in laws that Trump is exploiting to deploy members of our military to police their fellow Americans, diverting taxpayer dollars and attention away from the military’s core mission and undermining the Administration’s own stated goal to focus our military on warfighting. Along with Duckworth, this legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Dick Durbin (D-IL).

“The unjustified, un-American deployment of our military into our cities is pulling resources and attention away from our Armed Forces’ core missions to the detriment of our national security,” said Senator Duckworth. “This egregious abuse of our military did not start in California—it’s been a plan since Trump’s first day in office. And with every executive order he’s signed to ‘use national security assets for law and order,’ the Administration continues to blur the lines between our military and law enforcement. Enough is enough—my legislation would curb the misuse of our military for civilian law enforcement, help protect and restore public trust in our Armed Forces and preserve Americans’ civil rights.”

The Trump Administration’s deployment of American servicemembers to California is just the latest in a deliberate, systematic and dangerous politicized campaign to reorient our military away from warfighting and toward intimidating Americans in their own communities. Beginning on his first day in office, Trump signed a series of executive orders redirecting the Defense Department’s priorities toward supporting domestic law enforcement, including one in April that tells the Department to “use national security assets for law and order.” The legislation introduced today would have made it harder for the Trump Administration to argue that it is legal on Title 10 orders for the military to operate in American neighborhoods because they are only in support roles to law enforcement.

Senator Duckworth’s Military in Law Enforcement Accountability Act would draw a brighter line between the military and civilian law enforcement in the United States by:

  • Restricting and Enhancing Oversight over Indirect Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement: Reforming sections of Title 10 Chapter 15 to prohibit indirect military support to civilian law enforcement except in specific emergency circumstances and requiring Congressional approval for any dedication of military or defense assets for that purpose when it lasts longer than 14 days. This reform limits permissible indirect support to only the following scenarios: humanitarian crises; natural disasters; public health emergencies; attacks on critical infrastructure; nuclear attacks; domestic terrorist incidents and preparations for a major U.S. event, in which the domestic response needs are expected to exceed the capacity of civilian law enforcement.
  • Prohibiting Dual-Hat Roles between Defense and Civilian Law Enforcement: Prohibiting individuals from simultaneously holding any position in the Department of Defense and in any civilian law enforcement entity, except if they are members of the Reserves and National Guard and hold law enforcement roles in their civilian capacities only.
  • Strengthening Requirements for Self-Identification of Armed Forces or Federal Law Enforcement within the United States: Changing 10 USC 723 to expand the conditions under which members of the Armed Forces or Federal law enforcement are required to visibly display their identifier and name of their organization to include all scenarios involving support to civil authorities, not just under “civil disturbances” only.

Duckworth joined U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw all military forces from Los Angeles and cease all threats to deploy the National Guard or active-duty service members to American cities. And, while questioning the Commandant of the Marine Corps during a hearing this month, Duckworth slammed the Trump Administration’s deployment of 700 Marines into Los Angeles. The Senator said, “I don’t condone violence or property destruction, but using active-duty Marines this way sets a dangerous precedent that risks damaging public trust in our military and politicizing a military force that must remain mission-focused. President Trump is asking Marines to be away from their families for a situation that the President himself said was ‘simmering, but not very much.’”

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