Politics

The Pentagon Says the National Guard Deployment in Washington Will Cost $1.4 Billion Over Three Years

By Mike Harper · August 5, 2026

The deployment was supposed to be temporary. It’s now been extended through January 2029 — and the bill just arrived.

Maintaining an average of 2,500 National Guard members in Washington, D.C. through the end of Trump’s second term will cost taxpayers approximately $1.4 billion, according to a Defense Department estimate provided to Congress and obtained by the Associated Press.

The cost covers fiscal years 2027 through 2029. It comes on top of what has already been spent. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that Guard deployments across several cities cost roughly $496 million through the end of last year alone, with Washington accounting for the largest share at approximately $55 million per month. The deployment has been running since August 2025.

“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.” Senator Elizabeth Warren said.

The estimate was provided in response to questions from Warren and delivered to the Associated Press. The Pentagon said last month that the Guard mission will continue “until Jan. 20, 2029, or until terminated by the President.” The deployment was previously set to expire at the end of 2026 but has been extended twice.

Trump ordered the Guard to Washington as part of a crime crackdown in the capital, saying the city needed military support to address violent crime, drugs, and homelessness. Since then, Guard members have patrolled national monuments, staffed checkpoints, and — according to earlier reporting — picked up trash, blown leaves, and shoveled mulch.

A Senate Homeland Security Committee report earlier this year found the deployment had cost more than $330 million in its first six months with no measurable public safety outcomes directly attributable to the Guard’s presence.

Local officials have consistently opposed the deployment. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit last year calling it illegal federal overreach. Mayor Muriel Bowser testified before the House Oversight Committee. Neither succeeded in ending it — in part because the president serves as direct commander of the D.C. Guard, unlike in states where governors control their own units.

What remains unclear is whether governors will continue to extend their states’ Guard units. The deployment draws troops from multiple states, and each governor’s authorization is required. Some have already raised concerns about the strain on readiness and the cost to their states’ own operations.

The $1.4 billion covers only the D.C. deployment. Guard deployments in other cities — including Memphis, New Orleans, and Portland — carry separate costs. The total taxpayer bill for keeping military personnel on American streets could significantly exceed that figure before the deployment ends.