HR 10697: No Troops in Our Streets Act of 2026

HR 10697 in plain English: This bill would restrict the use of U.S. military troops for domestic law enforcement and provide funding to state and local governments as an alternative. It appropriates a total of $900 million for law enforcement grants, community violence intervention, and emergency assistance, while also providing $100 million for hiring and retraining law enforcement personnel.

Stated purpose

This bill gives Congress the explicit power to stop the use of U.S. military forces (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force) in domestic law enforcement roles by passing a joint resolution. It sets up a specific, fast-track process for Congress to vote to end any approved exception to the longstanding law against using the military as domestic police.

Key points

• Restricts or prohibits the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement purposes
• Provides $600 million for Edward Byrne Memorial Justice grants to state and local law enforcement
• Allocates $150 million for a community violence intervention and prevention initiative
• Sets aside $50 million for emergency law enforcement assistance, capped at $10 million per declared emergency
• Appropriates $100 million for grants to hire and retrain law enforcement personnel

Arguments supporters make

• Using the military to police American streets blurs the line between the armed forces and civilian law enforcement, and Congress should have a clear, fast way to stop that if it happens.
• The bill creates a real check on executive power by letting Congress — the branch closest to the people — vote quickly to end a domestic troop deployment it disagrees with.
• Protecting civil liberties at home requires that no single branch of government be able to unilaterally put soldiers in American communities without the possibility of a congressional override.

Arguments opponents make

• There are emergencies — like large-scale natural disasters or sudden domestic crises — where the President needs to act fast, and giving Congress a veto over troop deployments could dangerously slow the response.
• Existing law (the Posse Comitatus Act and its exceptions) already limits domestic military use; adding a congressional disapproval process layers new political obstacles onto situations that may require rapid, unified action.
• A joint resolution still requires the President's signature or a veto override, meaning the bill may not actually give Congress a reliable check — the executive could simply veto any disapproval resolution and maintain the deployment.

Tradeoffs

Giving Congress faster authority to stop domestic military deployments strengthens legislative oversight and civil liberties protections, but may reduce the speed and flexibility the executive branch has to respond to urgent domestic threats. The bill trades some executive agility for greater democratic accountability over how and where U.S. troops operate on American soil.

Current status in Congress: In committee.

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