By Ashlee Banks
Special to the AFRO
Representative Hank Johnson (D-Ga.-4), re-introduced legislation on March 10, 2026, aimed at restricting the Department of Defense’s ability to transfer surplus military hardware to domestic law enforcement agencies. The bill, the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2026, focuses on reforming the 1033 Program, an initiative that has seen more than $8 billion in military equipment moved to local precincts since its inception.
Rep. Johnson told the AFRO, that demilitarization and de-escalation must be a priority for Congress.
“Our nation’s founders recognized that overgrown military establishments, which our police forces are slowly becoming, are a threat to liberty and a free republic. They warned us about it then, and 250 years later, their warning is more relevant than ever,” said Rep. Johnson.
“Cooler heads can prevail in times of crisis, but not if Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles, known as MRAPs, are patrolling our public spaces,” added the Georgia lawmaker. “The enemy within is armed escalation, and we should be doing everything in our power to dismantle it.”
The legislative push follows long-standing data suggesting that the militarization of police departments disproportionately affects Black and brown. Researchers from Standford University published a report in the Social Psychological and Personality Science Journal in 2023, showing that the deployment of armored vehicles and tactical weaponry is concentrated in minority neighborhoods, where the presence of such equipment often correlates with an increase in lethal force and a decrease in community trust.
The bill seeks to codify restrictions on the program to prevent the policy shifts that have occurred between successive presidential administrations. While executive orders under the Obama and Biden administrations previously limited the scope of equipment transfers, those orders were rescinded during the Trump administration in 2017 and again in 2025. By pursuing a legislative remedy, the bill would establish a permanent ban on the transfer of specific items, including weaponized drones, long-range acoustic devices, grenade launchers, and specialized combat vehicles.
U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.-4) told the AFRO, that the tactical burden of these transfers is not distributed equally across American communities.
“When they roll out this kind of weaponry, the militarized tanks and heavy artillery, they do it in predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods,” said the Maryland lawmaker.
“Frequently these are the communities that have the least ability to defend themselves or use their constitutional rights to free speech,” Ivey added. “It’s totally oppressive.”
In addition to prohibiting certain hardware, the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act introduces new oversight mechanisms. It would require recipient agencies to provide a strict accounting of all military-grade assets to prevent the loss or unauthorized resale of equipment. The bill also prohibits law enforcement agencies from “re-gifting” surplus items to other departments and implements enhanced tracking to ensure the Department of Defense maintains visibility of the equipment’s use.
The bill is supported by a coalition of 19 original cosponsors and various advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International USA.
Nina Patel, ACLU Senior Policy Counsel Justice Division, said in a statement, that if Rep. Johnson’s bill is enacted into law, it will make sure that policing is “grounded in accountability, transparency, and bound by the Constitution.”
“Armored vehicles and battlefield weapons are meant to intimidate and escalate conflict and have no place in American streets and communities,” she continued.
Rep. Ivey told the AFRO, that he looks forward to supporting the measure.
“This isn’t a military assault. Congressman Johnson’s legislation makes a lot of sense,” said the Democratic lawmaker. “[Militarizing] the police is dangerous and gets the police thinking about citizens in the wrong way.”
The bill is now headed to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on the Judiciary.