Trump Calls for Congress to Reverse Washington’s No-Cash Bail

President Donald Trump called on Congress to end Washington’s cashless bail system, adding to Republican lawmakers’ legislative role in his latest attack on the capital city.

The District mainly eliminated cash bail in the 1990s, making it one of the first US cities to move away from the practice on civil rights concerns. Trump said he’ll “have to get the Republicans to vote” on ending cashless bail at a press conference Monday. He urged Congress to act as part of a broader announcement of DC crime-related policies such as deploying the National Guard and taking control of the District’s police force.

The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing with District Attorney General Brian Schwalb, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) when Congress returns from recess in September, Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) announced Monday. Comer said the panel is committed to “advancing legislative solutions” to crack down on local crime.

Democrats have largely pushed back on Trump’s efforts to intervene in Washington’s governing, citing recent statistics showing violent crime at a 30-year low as of 2024.

Trump’s request on cashless bail faces long odds in Congress. Though such a bill could probably advance out of the House, it would need Democratic votes to clear the Senate’s legislative filibuster — unless included in a budget reconciliation bill, which would very likely be shot down by the chamber’s parliamentarian for not being germane.

“Every place in the country where you have no-cash bail is a disaster,” Trump told reporters, flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Much of Trump’s announcement focused on juvenile crime, which the police have sought to address with an 8 p.m. youth curfew this week in areas of Southeast DC and a citywide 11 p.m. youth curfew. The White House’s crime push could help build momentum on the Hill for legislation such as Rep. Byron Donalds’ (R-Fla.) bill (H.R. 4922), which would limit the youth offender status age to no older than 18, from the current 24.

House Republicans have also targeted DC home rule in government funding legislation, with their draft fiscal 2026 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill including provisions targeting abortion, assisted suicide, and needle exchanges. The funding bill wouldn’t specifically target cashless bail, though Trump’s comments could signal more effort on the topic next month. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who is widely expected to run for New York governor next year, on Monday praised Trump’s cashless bail comments and called for similar policy changes in New York.

Read More: Trump Wants Control Over Washington DC. What Are His Powers?

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), DC’s non-voting representative, called Trump’s troop deployment a “counterproductive, escalatory seizure,” in a statement. Norton didn’t directly address Trump’s cashless bail statements but called for DC statehood.

Other Democrats denounced the president’s deployment of troops as a stunt meant to distract from his administration’s handling of files relating to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and other topics.

“Committee Democrats have long supported Washington D.C.’s right to decide how to govern itself–and we will keep championing this right for its more than 700,000 residents,” Oversight ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said in a statement.