Senate Republicans block resolution to prohibit Trump Administration from weaponizing U.S. military against American citizens 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) spoke in support of legislation led by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to reform and right-size the Insurrection Act, an emergency, near-wartime authority measure President Trump has expressed interest in invoking in order to use the U.S. military to harass American citizens attending peaceful protests. In his remarks, Senator Welch demanded reforms to limit current and future administrations from abusing the Insurrection Act and deploying U.S. troops to police Americans exercising their right to free speech. The resolution was blocked by Senate Republicans. 

The new Insurrection Act of 2025 would reform centuries-old legislation that gives the President broad and vague authority to deploy troops—either with or without the request of a state—to suppress “any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy.” No President has invoked the Insurrection Act to activate troops without the invitation of a governor in over 50 years, given the potential for the military to escalate tensions, rather than restore order, during a domestic crisis. 

“Essentially, this President—from day one—has been overreaching the use of executive authority and declarations of emergencies. And it’s everything from tariffs—where Article I gives Congress the authority to pass those or invoke those, not the President—and now to the use of the National Guard as a private police force that basically serves the will of the President and for political purposes. It is extraordinary, in our country, to have the National Guard deployed. It is even more extraordinary to have the military deployed. There are circumstances where that can be done, but not at the whim of an Executive who does it for political reasons,” said Senator Welch. 

“The importance of the Senator’s bill is that this Congress act to set definitions on what so-called ‘emergencies’ are and not leave it up to an Executive who has demonstrated, repeatedly, that he will overreach—he has, and he will.” 

Watch Senator Welch’s speech below: 

Read a key excerpt from Senator Welch’s remarks: 

“What you’re seeing is an act of political will for a political purpose—not for a public safety purpose…And make no mistake, there’s no limits to what this President will do. He starts in L.A., goes to Portland, he wants to go to Baltimore. And then, for the purpose of putting down what he claims is ‘lawless behavior’—but upon review by local judges who have the evidence, find that it’s nothing out of the ordinary that the local jurisdiction and law enforcement forces can’t handle—what’s next? Will we see military deployed to cities where the President does not like the outcome of the vote in the next election? That’s a fair question.” 

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The new Insurrection Act of 2025 would: 

• Narrow and clarify the criteria for the domestic deployment of military troops for law enforcement purposes. 

• Specify that the use of the military is a last resort and is authorized only if the use of civilian law enforcement authorities would be insufficient. 

• Clarify that the law cannot be used to suspend habeas corpus, impose martial law, or deputize private militias to act as soldiers. 

• Require the President to consult with Congress prior to invoking the Insurrection Act and receive Congressional approval if the President seeks to exercise authority under the Act for longer than 7 days. 

• Require a report to Congress providing an explicit justification for the use of the Insurrection Act’s authority, as enumerated in this legislation, and a full description of the scope and duration of its use. 

• Provide for judicial review to ensure that individuals, or a state or local government, may bring a civil action if the President’s authority under the Insurrection Act is misused or abused. 

 
In addition to Sens. Welch and Blumenthal, the Insurrection Act of 2025 is cosponsored by Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). 

Learn more about his work by visiting his website or by following him on social media. 

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