North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis has expressed skepticism about the federal deployment of the National Guard to cities, including the possibility of sending troops to Charlotte, arguing that it may mask failures in local leadership.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Tillis pressed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on whether dispatching the National Guard to urban areas like Portland or Chicago represents a “best practice” for public safety or whether it serves as a temporary shock measure. He asked, “Is this deployment of the National Guard a part of an emerging best practice that I just don’t get yet?”
Bondi defended the deployments, saying that the National Guard is needed to protect federal property and maintain order, though she acknowledged the arrangement isn’t ideal. She told Tillis that she did not believe Guard members would choose to be in such roles unless called upon to “keep Americans safe.”
Tillis pushed back, suggesting that turning to the Guard might be a way to bypass accountability at the state and local levels:
“I’m having a real struggle right now with the National Guard being deployed and masking the abject failure of leaders at the state, local level.”
Tillis’ concern: that reliance on military forces could become a default response, rather than strengthening local law enforcement capabilities.
The debate unfolds amid a broader clash over the limits of federal intervention in city governance, with questions of state sovereignty, civil authority, and public safety powerfully intertwined.
