Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and Attorney General Brian Schwalb told the House Oversight Committee that while crime rates have fallen to 30-year lows, the city still needs long-term federal support, not armed National Guard patrols. All three leaders urged Congress to fund new facilities, confirm judges, and back efforts to restore the Metropolitan Police Department’s ranks to nearly 4,000 officers. Both Mendelson and Schwalb criticized the effectiveness and legality of the federal surge. “As the nation’s capital, public safety in the District has always required a strong working partnership with federal law enforcement, regardless of who is in the White House,” Schwalb said. All three officials urged Congress to help address longstanding vacancies on the D.C. courts and to fund a new psychiatric residential treatment facility for youth.