Republican Governor Refuses to Deploy National Guard to D.C.

Vermont Governor Refuses to Deploy National Guard to Washington, D.C.

Governor Phil Scott of Vermont has made a clear decision not to send the state’s National Guard to Washington, D.C., emphasizing that he does not believe it is appropriate to use these troops for such purposes. This stance comes amid ongoing discussions about the deployment of additional military forces to the capital, which have been requested by the Trump administration.

Scott’s chief of staff, Jason Gibbs, explained the governor’s position in an interview with Vermont Public. He stated that without an immediate emergency or disaster that local and regional first responders cannot manage, the governor does not support using the National Guard for this purpose. Additionally, Scott does not view the enforcement of domestic law as a proper role for the National Guard.

This decision marks Scott as one of the few Republican leaders who has resisted the pressure from the Trump administration to deploy National Guard units to address what the president has called a growing crime crisis in the district. However, data indicates that violent crime rates in Washington, D.C., have actually declined in 2024 and 2025. Critics, including Democrats, argue that Trump’s actions are more of a political stunt aimed at diverting attention from other issues within his administration, such as the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case by the Justice Department.

The request for National Guard assistance came from the Pentagon, asking for a “few dozen” troops from Vermont. This move follows the deployment of 800 National Guard troops to the city, with contributions from six Republican-led states—West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana—potentially increasing the total number to over 1,700.

Despite the increased presence, the exact reasons for requesting more troops and their specific roles remain unclear. A spokesperson for Tennessee Governor Bill Lee told the Associated Press that the state’s National Guard would assist with monument security, community safety patrols, protecting federal facilities, and traffic control. Some troops may even be armed, according to a Guard representative.

Gibbs added that Scott believes the situation is being overly politicized and that the majority of Vermonters do not see the deployment as an acceptable use of the National Guard. He also noted that if D.C. leaders had formally requested federal aid, the governor’s perspective might have been different.

On Friday, the D.C. attorney general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for taking over the leadership of the district’s police force. Mayor Muriel Bowser criticized the move, stating that the numbers on the ground and the district itself do not justify the arrival of 1,000 people from other states in Washington, D.C.

This is not the first time that Governor Scott has opposed the Trump administration's attempts to use the National Guard. Earlier, he rejected a Defense Department request to deploy Vermont’s National Guard to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at detention facilities.

Other Related Developments

• Three States Move To Deploy Hundreds Of National Guard Members To Washington: Several states have taken steps to send additional National Guard units to the capital, contributing to the overall increase in troop numbers.
• Dining In D.C. Has Drastically Dropped Amid Trump’s Crackdown: The recent actions by the Trump administration have led to a noticeable decline in dining activity in Washington, D.C.
• White House Sending Social Media Teams With FBI On Some D.C. Arrests: Report: Reports suggest that the White House is involving social media teams alongside the FBI during certain arrests in the district.