Trump National Guard deployment in Washington estimated to cost $1.4B more
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The Pentagon’s deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., is reportedly projected to cost another $1.4 billion through the end of President Trump’s second term, according to information the Pentagon provided to Congress.
The estimate, given to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), by acting Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst III, covers the period of October 2026 through January 2029, The Washington Post reported.
The Trump administration has already spent an estimated $55 million per month on the Guard’s mission in the nation’s capital, which began nearly a year ago when the federal government temporarily took over D.C. law enforcement through presidential executive order and announced the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. That estimate, projected by the Congressional Budget Office in January, means the total cost of the deployment thus far is more than $700 million through September and $2.1 billion through Jan. 20, 2029.
The National Guard will maintain a presence in D.C. through the next Inauguration Day or “until the president says the mission is over,” D.C. National Guard Interim Commanding General Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II confirmed to reporters Monday.
That extended timeline, first reported in March, coincides with the National Guard announcing it had given a $292 million contract to provide up to 2,000 apartment-style units for guard members to live while stationed in D.C.
Some 4,620 National Guard troops are currently in the capital city from D.C. and 23 states and territories. The number previously hovered around 3,500 but surged earlier this summer ahead of events around July 4th.
The unprecedented deployment has been fiercely criticized by city officials, Democrats and civil liberty advocates, who have called the mission unnecessary, a waste of resources, an infringement on Americans’ civil liberties and lacking a clear strategy. Critics note guardsmen can’t make arrests and largely patrol neighborhoods and tourist centers that typically have lower crime rates.
Last month, “Free DC” protesters heckled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration officials during a D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force event at Meridian Hill Park.
The cost of the deployment has fallen further under scrutiny with Pentagon coffers quickly shrinking due to the tens of billions of dollars spent on the Iran war, now in its sixth month.
In Trump’s desired $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal 2027, $2.3 billion would be allocated for domestic use of the military, including $605 million for the National Guard mission in D.C.
Another $800 million has been requested for the National Guard in a separate ask for Congress for $67 billion to fund the Iran war.
“The National Guard are not pawns and taxpayer dollars are not a piggy bank for Trump’s political stunts,” Warren said in a statement to the Post.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · The Hill ↗
The Pentagon’s deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., is reportedly projected to cost another $1.4 billion through the end of President Trump’s second term,…
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Skip to content
The Pentagon’s deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., is reportedly projected to cost another $1.4 billion through the end of President Trump’s second term, according to information the Pentagon provided to Congress.
The estimate, given to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), by acting Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst III, covers the period of October 2026 through January 2029, The Washington Post reported.
The Trump administration has already spent an estimated $55 million per month on the Guard’s mission in the nation’s capital, which began nearly a year ago when the federal government temporarily took over D.C. law enforcement through presidential executive order and announced the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. That estimate, projected by the Congressional Budget Office in January, means the total cost of the deployment thus far is more than $700 million through September and $2.1 billion through Jan. 20, 2029.
The National Guard will maintain a presence in D.C. through the next Inauguration Day or “until the president says the mission is over,” D.C. National Guard Interim Commanding General Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II confirmed to reporters Monday.
That extended timeline, first reported in March, coincides with the National Guard announcing it had given a $292 million contract to provide up to 2,000 apartment-style units for guard members to live while stationed in D.C.
Some 4,620 National Guard troops are currently in the capital city from D.C. and 23 states and territories. The number previously hovered around 3,500 but surged earlier this summer ahead of events around July 4th.
The unprecedented deployment has been fiercely criticized by city officials, Democrats and civil liberty advocates, who have called the mission unnecessary, a waste of resources, an infringement on Americans’ civil liberties and lacking a clear strategy. Critics note guardsmen can’t make arrests and largely patrol neighborhoods and tourist centers that typically have lower crime rates.
Last month, “Free DC” protesters heckled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration officials during a D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force event at Meridian Hill Park.
The cost of the deployment has fallen further under scrutiny with Pentagon coffers quickly shrinking due to the tens of billions of dollars spent on the Iran war, now in its sixth month.
In Trump’s desired $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal 2027, $2.3 billion would be allocated for domestic use of the military, including $605 million for the National Guard mission in D.C.
Another $800 million has been requested for the National Guard in a separate ask for Congress for $67 billion to fund the Iran war.
“The National Guard are not pawns and taxpayer dollars are not a piggy bank for Trump’s political stunts,” Warren said in a statement to the Post.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · The Hill ↗
Skip to content
The Pentagon’s deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., is reportedly projected to cost another $1.4 billion through the end of President Trump’s second term, according to information the Pentagon provided to Congress.
The estimate, given to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), by acting Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst III, covers the period of October 2026 through January 2029, The Washington Post reported.
The Trump administration has already spent an estimated $55 million per month on the Guard’s mission in the nation’s capital, which began nearly a year ago when the federal government temporarily took over D.C. law enforcement through presidential executive order and announced the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. That estimate, projected by the Congressional Budget Office in January, means the total cost of the deployment thus far is more than $700 million through September and $2.1 billion through Jan. 20, 2029.
The National Guard will maintain a presence in D.C. through the next Inauguration Day or “until the president says the mission is over,” D.C. National Guard Interim Commanding General Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II confirmed to reporters Monday.
That extended timeline, first reported in March, coincides with the National Guard announcing it had given a $292 million contract to provide up to 2,000 apartment-style units for guard members to live while stationed in D.C.
Some 4,620 National Guard troops are currently in the capital city from D.C. and 23 states and territories. The number previously hovered around 3,500 but surged earlier this summer ahead of events around July 4th.
The unprecedented deployment has been fiercely criticized by city officials, Democrats and civil liberty advocates, who have called the mission unnecessary, a waste of resources, an infringement on Americans’ civil liberties and lacking a clear strategy. Critics note guardsmen can’t make arrests and largely patrol neighborhoods and tourist centers that typically have lower crime rates.
Last month, “Free DC” protesters heckled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration officials during a D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force event at Meridian Hill Park.
The cost of the deployment has fallen further under scrutiny with Pentagon coffers quickly shrinking due to the tens of billions of dollars spent on the Iran war, now in its sixth month.
In Trump’s desired $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal 2027, $2.3 billion would be allocated for domestic use of the military, including $605 million for the National Guard mission in D.C.
Another $800 million has been requested for the National Guard in a separate ask for Congress for $67 billion to fund the Iran war.
“The National Guard are not pawns and taxpayer dollars are not a piggy bank for Trump’s political stunts,” Warren said in a statement to the Post.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · The Hill ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- The Pentagon’s deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., is reportedly projected to cost another $1.4 billion through the end of President Trump’s second term,…