President Donald Trump defiantly insisted Wednesday that he did not need Congress’s blessing to maintain his control of Washington, D.C.’s police. The president was asked if he was talking to Congress about extending his control of the Metropolitan Police beyond 30 days after he declared Monday he was federalizing the force to combat crime in the nation’s capital.

The morning after National Guard troops appeared on the streets of the District on Tuesday night, D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said that the federal surge could “help me do the things I need to do” to reduce crime and build on a federal partnership.