President Donald Trump announced the U.S. government will begin seeking the death penalty in homicide cases occurring in Washington, D.C.

Trump called the policy a “very strong preventative” measure and indicated this is a stance the country must take despite uncertainties about readiness for such measures nationwide.

Driving the news: The announcement was made during a White House cabinet meeting and aligns with Trump’s broader efforts to position himself as a law-and-order president. • Washington, D.C. is a unique federal jurisdiction under Congress’s authority, not a state, and residents elect a mayor and council members under the 1973 Home Rule Act. • The district has outlawed the death penalty for local crimes, but federal law still allows it for certain offenses committed there

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