{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-led-provision-to-rein-in-trumps-misuse-of-the-military-passes-congress-awaits-presidents-signature", "Duckworth-Led Provision to Rein in Trump\u2019s Misuse of the Military Passes Congress, Awaits President\u2019s Signature", "2025-12-18", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Tammy Duckworth", "D000622", "www.duckworth.senate.gov", "duckworth", "https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2014 As the Trump Administration continues to send federal agents and our nation\u2019s servicemembers into American communities to intimidate their fellow Americans, the Senate passed a provision authored and championed by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) that would rein in Trump\u2019s misuse of the military, help strengthen public trust in the military and ensure servicemembers identify themselves as part of the Armed Forces when assisting federal law enforcement in the United States. The Senator\u2019s provision\u2014which is a modified version of her Military in Law Enforcement Accountability (MiLEA) Act\u2014was included in the National Defense Authorization Act that both chambers of Congress have now passed. The provision will ensure that servicemembers identify themselves properly to avoid public misunderstanding about who is providing logistical support versus conducting arrests or law enforcement duties.\n\n\u201cIt is inexcusable that the Trump Administration is intentionally trying to borrow the respected image of the military and make it hard for Americans to tell the difference between abusive federal agents and our professional servicemembers\u2014with DHS agents dressing in camo and wielding military-style weapons,\u201d said Duckworth. \u201cIn my own experience serving in the National Guard, I saw firsthand the difference that drawing a bright line between the roles of our military and law enforcement can make in terms of maintaining public trust in our military. Although the courts have stopped him in city after city, it\u2019s clear Donald Trump wants our professional military to defend his incredibly abusive and unprofessional agents in carrying out his cruel and extreme domestic policies. My provision would provide accountability to the public during tense moments when troops might be interacting with citizens, from protests to natural disasters to humanitarian crises\u2014and help build back the public\u2019s trust in the military.\u201d\n\nDuckworth has repeatedly criticized Trump and his Administration for repeatedly trying to blur the lines between our highly trained troops and lawless federal agents, which is eroding public trust in our military. During her questioning at SASC hearing she successfully secured, Duckworth pressed U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) Commander General Gregory M. Guillot, USAF, about whether the Department was ensuring differentiation between our troops and federal agents. He confirmed that he had not received any guidance or orders from the Administration on making this distinction. However, he assured that he has the authority to direct members under his command to distinguish themselves from ICE.\n\nDuckworth successfully secured this hearing in early October\u2014weeks after she led all of her fellow SASC Democrats in calling on SASC Chairman Wicker to hold this hearing, and shortly after she blocked expedited passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in order to secure it.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-led-provision-to-rein-in-trumps-misuse-of-the-military-passes-congress-awaits-presidents-signature"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.058282796293497, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}