A coalition of 19 nonpartisan nonprofit organizations urged House leaders to oppose legislation that would end the District of Columbia’s elected attorney general and replace that system with a presidential appointment.
“We strongly urge you to oppose the passage of the District of Columbia Attorney General Appointment Reform Act of 2025 (H.R. 5179 in the 119th Congress), which, if enacted, would take power away from the people of the District of Columbia and place it directly into the hands of the president,” the groups wrote in a Jan. 28 letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas), would amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to provide that the attorney general for the District of Columbia is appointed by the president and serves at the president’s pleasure without Senate confirmation. The legislation also provides that the term of the D.C. attorney general would coincide with the president’s term.
“The bill provides that the appointment is not subject to confirmation in the Senate,” according to Congress.gov. “Under current D.C. law, the Attorney General is elected by D.C. voters for a four-year term that coincides with the term of office of the D.C. Mayor.”
In the reported text posted by Congress, the measure states that the service of the individual serving as D.C. attorney general – currently Brian Schwalb – on the day before enactment would terminate on the date the act becomes law.
The organizations opposing the bill said the change would break with the prevailing model across the country, noting that 43 states elect their attorneys general and that D.C. currently does as well.
The groups also warned that placing the office under presidential control could damage prosecutorial independence. In the letter and a separate public statement, the coalition pointed to President Donald Trump’s public encouragement of investigations and indictments of political opponents, including repeated attacks on New York Attorney General Letitia James after she brought a civil fraud case against Trump.
The coalition also cited the D.C. attorney general’s consumer protection and civil enforcement work. The letter said that in 2024 the office secured more than $661 million in savings and benefits for District residents and reported a 330 percent return on investment based on a $153.7 million budget.
Local-control disputes involving the District have drawn broader attention on Capitol Hill. A November 2025 report by WJLA said the House had advanced multiple bills aimed at D.C. laws and that additional measures scheduled for votes included H.R. 5179, the attorney general bill.
“The residents of DC deserve an independent, democratically elected attorney general who fights for the best interests of the people,” the organizations wrote, urging Congress to vote no on H.R. 5179.