Executive Order
#14339 -- Additional Measures To Address the Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia (August 25, 2025)
Highlights
EO# 14339 builds on EO# 14333 (declaring a crime emergency in D.C.), directs for an online portal seeking applications from the public to join in federal law enforcement efforts in D.C., directs Sec'y of Defense to create a specialized unit within the D.C. National Guard to carry out local law enforcement under the direction of the federal government.
Key Compliance/Risk Cue
Embedded in this EO is the threat of federal and local law enforcement if HUD landlords fail to maintain the premises in sanitary conditions of their buildings AND if they fail to "restrict tenants who engage in criminal activity." The EO states that violations of these HUD provisions will be referred to the AG and federal and local law enforcement. There are D.C. tenant protections against landlords evicting tenants based solely on an arrest or for victims of domestic violence. Nevertheless, the EO calls for referrals to federal and local law enforcement for HUD violations.
Litigation Snapshot
On September 4, 2025, DC sued the Trump administration challenging the deployment of thousands of federally controlled National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. The suit argues that this deployment amounts to an unauthorized and involuntary military occupation of the city. The lawsuit does not directly challenge Executive Order 14339, but is closely related, as the National Guard deployments appear to be one of the key federal actions stemming from or justified by the EO 14339 framework.