New Bill Strips D.C. of AG Appointment Power, Giving It to the President Instead

This bill, officially titled the District of Columbia Attorney General Appointment Reform Act of 2025, makes one massive change to how the District of Columbia is governed: it hands the power to appoint the D.C. Attorney General (AG) directly to the President of the United States. Right now, D.C. has a locally elected or appointed AG. Under this bill, the President would pick the AG, and that person would serve entirely at the President’s discretion, meaning their term aligns with the President’s term in office (Sec. 2).

The Takeover: Who’s The Boss Now?

For residents of D.C., this is a major shift in local control. The Attorney General is D.C.’s chief legal officer, handling everything from local consumer protection cases to defending the city in court. Currently, that office is accountable to the people of D.C. Under this new structure, the AG would be accountable directly to the White House. Think of it this way: instead of your local city prosecutor being chosen by local processes, they are suddenly chosen by the federal government and serve at the pleasure of the President. This concentrates significant power in the executive branch over a traditionally local function (Sec. 2).

The Immediate Job Loss Provision

One of the most immediate and striking provisions is what happens to the person currently holding the job. The bill states clearly that the service of the person acting as the D.C. Attorney General the day before this law takes effect will be immediately terminated upon enactment (Sec. 2). This means whoever is sitting in that office—regardless of their term length or local mandate—is instantly out of a job the moment the President signs this bill. It’s a clean sweep that ensures the President can install their chosen appointee without delay.

What About the Staff?

If you work for the D.C. Attorney General’s office, the bill does clarify one thing that might ease some administrative headaches: staff appointed by the AG won’t automatically become federal employees just because their boss was appointed by the President (Sec. 2). They remain D.C. employees unless another specific law says otherwise. This is important because it keeps the staff under D.C.’s existing employment and benefits structures, preventing a sudden, massive shift in personnel management and benefits administration that would otherwise tie up the entire office in bureaucratic red tape.