“Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens.”

The Trump administration plans to slash security funding for Washington, D.C., according to a grant notice, even as President Donald Trump asserts crime in the U.S. capital is “totally out of control.

The deployment follows President Trump’s effort to portray the nation’s capital as rife with violent crime, despite data showing crime rates dropping significantly.