Pentagon deployment of National Guard in DC to cost additional $1.4 billion through end of Trump term

The Pentagon estimates the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C. will cost an additional $1.43 billion through the end of President Trump's second term, bringing the total projected cost to over $2 billion. The figure, based on a force of 2,500 troops, was revealed by a Pentagon nominee to Senator Elizabeth Warren, who criticized the spending as one of "Trump's political stunts."

National Guard deployment costs

• ▪The total cost for the deployment from August 2025 through January 2029 is projected to exceed $2 billion
• ▪The additional funding is projected to cost $51 million a month and will cover troop pay, travel, lodging, and meals
• ▪A January 2026 Congressional Budget Office report estimated the deployment had already cost $223 million through 2025
• ▪The Pentagon estimates the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C. will cost an additional $1.43 billion through the end of President Trump's term

Pentagon budget estimates

• ▪The estimate covers the period from October 2026 through January 2029 and assumes a steady deployment of 2,500 Guard personnel
• ▪The cost estimate was provided by Jules “Jay” W. Hurst III, the nominee for Pentagon comptroller, in a written response to Senator Elizabeth Warren
• ▪The projected costs are $605.1 million for fiscal 2027, $625.8 million for fiscal 2028, and $198.3 million for the remainder of the term

Political criticism

• ▪Senator Elizabeth Warren stated the National Guard are not "pawns" and taxpayer dollars are not a "piggy bank for Trump’s political stunts."
• ▪Some Washington, D.C. residents have protested the deployment, shouting at service members and displaying signs telling the Guard to "go home."
• ▪Democrats have raised concerns about the mission's expense, the blurring of military and police roles, and the impact on National Guard readiness

Mission effectiveness concerns

• ▪Rahmanullah Lakanwal was charged with killing U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and injuring another service member in a November 2025 shooting
• ▪The deployment does not appear to have had an appreciable effect on the crime rate in D.C.
• ▪During the deployment, D.C. violent crime rates have risen by 3%, while property crimes have dropped by a combined 23%
• ▪President Trump first deployed the National Guard in Washington, D.C. in August 2025
• ▪Homicide rates in D.C. have continued a downward trend that began in 2023, before the deployment started