RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The extension of the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C. until January 2029 will cost roughly $1.4 billion, according to a Defense Department estimate provided to Congress.
The figure offers a glimpse of how much taxpayer money will be spent on a deployment that has been criticized by local officials as an infringement of their city’s autonomy and by Democrats who say it has militarized the streets of nation’s capital at the public’s expense.
The cost estimate is for fiscal years 2027-2029 and came in response to questions from Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and was provided to The Associated Press.
The deployment began last summer, when President Donald Trump issued an emergency order that launched a law enforcement surge in the city which the administration says was meant to fight crime. Hundreds of armed Guard troops have been deployed to city streets, supporting arrest operations but also helping with snow removal and carrying out beautification projects . This summer, as the city marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, their numbers surged to about 5,000.
The Defense Department said in its estimate the cost assumes there will be an average of 2,500 National Guard members in Washington through January 2029.
“While American families are getting flattened by skyrocketing costs, Donald Trump is spending $1.4 billion to keep troops on the streets in Washington for years on end,” Warren said in an emailed statement. “The National Guard are not pawns and taxpayer dollars are not a piggy bank for Trump’s political stunts.”
The cost was first reported by The Washington Post.
The Pentagon said last month the Guard mission will continue until Jan. 20, 2029, “or until terminated by the President.” The deployment was set to expire at the end of this year after previously being extended.
While the use of National Guard members has been restricted by courts elsewhere, their presence continues in large numbers in D.C. where the president is the direct commander of the D.C. Guard.
What’s not clear is whether the governors will extend their state units for more than two years. As of late July there were 4,600 military personnel from D.C. and 23 states and territories still in the city, some sent to help with security and other functions as part of events around July 4th.
One state, Georgia, had roughly 800 personnel here, more than the D.C. National Guard. Maj. R. Dustin Cole, spokesperson for the Georgia Air National Guard, said in an email the increased number is temporary. He stopped short of saying how many Georgia troops might be pulled away, and when.
Col. Joel Lynch of the Arkansas National Guard said about half of the state’s 238 soldiers in D.C. will return home the end of this month and 123 are projected to return near the end of October.
Hawaii said it will bring home its 27 members later this month after the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. Louisiana will have about 150 Guard members in the city through January 2027.
Don and Donna Powell, residents of the city who split time between Washington and Texas, said the money being spent on the National Guard could be used for other necessities.
“They’re everywhere. They’re just hiding wherever it’s shady,” said Donna Powell, while attending a FreeDC protest Monday against the continued surge. The money being spent for them “could be spent on healthcare and food for families that need it and instead we’re wasting our money.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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