Rep. Krishnamoorthi opposes Trump’s deployment of troops in Chicago

“The U.S. military defends our freedoms—it is not a political prop,” Krishnamoorthi said.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi / REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi criticized President Donald Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, calling it “a reckless abuse of power.”

“The U.S. military defends our freedoms—it is not a political prop,” the Congressman from Illinois said renewing his push for legislation to limit presidential authority in such matters.

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“President Trump’s threat to send the National Guard into Chicago is a reckless abuse of power-and a distraction from his mismanagement of the economy, the affordability crisis, and his attempts to bury the Epstein files,” he added.

Krishnamoorthi is backing the Stop Trump’s Abuse of Power Act, which he co-leads with Representatives Haley Stevens of Michigan and Salud Carbajal of California.

Highlighting the urgency behind his bill Krishnamoorthi underscored the recent legal disputes, including the Newsom v. Trump case challenging Trump’s federalization of the California National Guard and the deployment of U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in June 2025—a move largely rebuffed by the courts.

The bill seeks to amend the Insurrection Act to require that active-duty military forces be deployed within a U.S. state or territory only at the request of its governor or chief executive, a step he says is necessary to protect the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and prevent the use of the armed forces for domestic political purposes.

Trump’s remarks on Chicago followed his announcement of a federal takeover of the Washington, D.C., police department and the deployment of 800 National Guard troops in the capital.

Despite data showing crime in Washington at a 30-year low, Trump claimed the action was needed to address “bloodshed, bedlam and squalor” and warned that similar interventions could occur in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Baltimore.

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