Padilla Introduces Bill to Strengthen Accountability Over Unlawful National Guard Deployments

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As President Trump charges ahead with the unprecedented and illegal militarization of American cities, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced legislation to enhance oversight and accountability of the President's deployment of the National Guard. The Safeguarding the Use of the National Guard (SUN) Act would require the President to submit a comprehensive report to Congress within 15 days of deploying the National Guard, except in the case of a natural disaster.

Representative Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.-16) is leading companion legislation in the House of Representatives. Senator Padilla also filed the bill as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2026.

In June, President Trump manufactured a crisis and escalated tensions in Los Angeles by deploying 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines without Governor Newsom's request or consent. Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth "willfully" violated federal law through their militarization of Los Angeles in response to overwhelmingly peaceful protests supporting immigrants' rights. However, approximately 300 troops National Guard troops still remain in Los Angeles. Trump has also extended his militarization of Washington, D.C. and has threatened to soon deploy National Guard troops to Memphis.

"First it was Los Angeles, now it's our nation's capital, and soon it will be any city that dares to speak out against Donald Trump," said Senator Padilla. "We cannot allow Trump to keep abusing his power and ignoring local elected officials to intimidate our communities. Our commonsense measure would add an essential layer of scrutiny to hold the Administration accountable and reaffirm the National Guard's proper role in national defense and emergency support."

"As mayor of San José, I never called in the National Guard to fight crime; our city achieved the lowest homicide rate of any major U.S. city by relying on our experts-our police-working with the community. As President Trump deploys troops to LA, DC, and other US cities, he wastes taxpayer dollars, undermines the critical work of local police departments, and assaults our constitutional order. Americans deserve to know how their money is being spent. The SUN Act shines a light on what these deployments mean for our communities and wallets, and I'm proud to work with Senator Padilla to advance this legislation. If there's nothing to hide, let the light in," said Representative Liccardo.

The SUN Act would require the President's report to outline the legal basis, clear objectives, and cost to taxpayers for National Guard deployments for non-natural disaster related events. The report would also include the extent of interactions between civilians and the National Guard, accounts from local and state law enforcement detailing such events, and certification that the deployment did not interfere with the National Guard's ability to assist with natural disaster response.

The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

Senator Padilla has been a leading voice in opposition to President Trump's militarization of Los Angeles. In June, Padilla led 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. Last week, Padilla, Schiff, and 17 other Senate Democrats filed an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the lawsuit brought against President Trump for his misuse of the U.S. military in Los Angeles. Padilla and Schiff also recently demanded the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) provide information on operational details related to the ongoing deployment of California National Guard personnel in Los Angeles, first federalized by President Trump on June 9.

After the Trump Administration deployed National Guard troops across Washington, D.C. and took control of the city's police department, Padilla recently supported legislation granting the District full authority over the D.C. National Guard and the Metropolitan Police Department. Additionally, Padilla placed a hold on Trump's nominee to serve as vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, Lieutenant General Thomas Carden, until the Trump Administration releases all remaining U.S. military forces from their unjustified deployment to Los Angeles.

Full text of the SUN Act is available here.

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