Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The deployment has already cost $330 million.
In August 2025, the National Guard was deployed to Washington, D.C.
At the time, President Donald Trump declared a “public safety emergency,” according to the BBC, after which 800 National Guard troops were sent to the capital.
Mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, rejected the need for troops from the National Guard in the capital and pointed to data showing dropping homicide rates as well as a 30-year low in violent crime.
But the National Guard was deployed, it is still there, and it is not leaving anytime soon after Trump issued a new order.
Multi-year extension
According to MS Now and NPR, Donald Trump has now extended the National Guard’s deployment in Washington, D.C., until January 2029.
Defense Department officials confirmed the troops will remain until the next inauguration, making it one of the longest and most controversial domestic military footprints in modern American history.
To support events marking the nation’s 250th anniversary, the president doubled the troop presence to more than 5,000.
A questionable shield
Yet the deployment has done little to stop violent crime. A study by the Niskanen Center found that while opportunistic property crimes such as car theft fell by 24%, violent offenses such as robbery and homicide were unaffected.
This is because troops patrolled tourist areas and federal buildings rather than high-crime neighborhoods. They enforced curfews and detained suspects under temporary federal deputization, though they relied on local police to handle standard law enforcement duties and processing.
Still, administration officials defend the operation. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told soldiers in July that their presence offers psychological comfort.
“You cannot put a dollar value on what you have provided,” Miller said.
