The Insurrection Act Wasn’t Intended
to Escalate Violence
Robert Reich / Inequality Media Civic Action
(October 16, 2025) — Donald Trump is ready to wield the Insurrection Act as a weapon against the American people.
With No Kings rallies happening across the country on October 18, and the Trump administration’s unhinged reaction to them on full display, it’s never been more important for Congress to reform the Insurrection Act.
Donald Trump, the same man who incited a violent insurrection against the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, has now pardoned those who attacked our democracy — while calling peaceful protesters “insurrectionists” and threatening to use military force against them.
The irony is staggering — and the danger is real.
The Insurrection Act, a 200-year-old law, gives presidents near-limitless power to deploy troops on U.S. soil with almost no oversight. It was meant for true emergencies, but as written, it’s an open invitation for abuse — allowing any president to send armed forces into American cities under almost any pretext. Now Trump is about to seize that power.
Nine months into his second term, he’s said he would invoke the Insurrection Act “if I had to” — but he has already said certain states are in “pure insurrection.” He’s already sent Marines to Los Angeles and the National Guard to Chicago and Portland. His administration’s rhetoric paints blue states as battlefields and dissent as rebellion.
Trump’s goal isn’t public safety. It’s punishing those who speak out against his regime.
Twenty-four Democratic attorneys general have joined California and Oregon’s lawsuit opposing these deployments, asserting “there is no invasion to repel, no rebellion to suppress.” Calling in troops when state and local law enforcement are fully functional, they say, “sets a chilling precedent that puts the constitutional rights of all Americans at risk.”
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has called out Trump’s false claims that Chicago and Illinois are “war zones,” noting that neither ranks among the ten most violent cities or states in the nation. Trump’s rhetoric doesn’t reflect reality — it’s designed to justify repression.
NBC News reports that Trump’s advisers are already drafting orders to override governors and occupy more Democratic-led cities. Deploying the U.S. military against civilians isn’t leadership; it’s tyranny. It creates violence where none existed and hurts communities rather than protecting them.
Congress must act now to prevent Donald Trump, or any president, from misusing the Insurrection Act. Lawmakers should:
- Require Congress approveany domestic troop deployment of more than 14 days;
- Empower federal courtsto block illegal or unconstitutional uses of the Act;
- Ensure that peaceful protestcan never be grounds for military action; and
- Require transparencywhenever the Act is invoked.
What’s happening on American streets — armored vehicles, tear gas, and citizens beaten for exercising their rights — should never happen in a democracy.
ACTION: Tell Congress: Reform the Insurrection Act before it’s used to crush dissent,
Because the right to peacefully protest is not an act of insurrection — it’s the foundation of American democracy.
Donald Trump is ready to wield
the Insurrection Act as a weapon
against the American people.
