New analysis: The National Priorities Project, as reported by The Intercept, estimates roughly $473 million has been spent deploying federal forces and federalized National Guard units to U.S. cities, led by Washington, D.C. ($270M) and Los Angeles ($172M). Critics, including Senators Tammy Duckworth and Elizabeth Warren, call the operations wasteful and legally dubious, and several courts have blocked aspects of the federalizations. The National Guard has been activated in seven states and placed on quick-response orders nationwide, while contentious operations in Chicago generated thousands of arrests and street-level clashes.
Report: Federal Troop Deployments to U.S. Cities Have Cost Taxpayers Nearly $473M
New analysis: The National Priorities Project, as reported by The Intercept, estimates roughly $473 million has been spent deploying federal forces and federalized National Guard units to U.S. cities, led by Washington, D.C. ($270M) and Los Angeles ($172M). Critics, including Senators Tammy Duckworth and Elizabeth Warren, call the operations wasteful and legally dubious, and several courts have blocked aspects of the federalizations. The National Guard has been activated in seven states and placed on quick-response orders nationwide, while contentious operations in Chicago generated thousands of arrests and street-level clashes.
12:30 PM, 11/13/2025Politics
Federal deployments to U.S. cities top $470 million, report finds
An analysis of open-source data by the nonpartisan National Priorities Project (NPP), reported by The Intercept, estimates that President Donald Trump’s deployments of federal forces and federalized National Guard units to American cities have cost taxpayers roughly $473 million so far.
Biggest expenses and city breakdown
The NPP’s breakdown identifies the August occupation of Washington, D.C., as the single most expensive operation at about $270 million. Los Angeles was the next costliest, with an estimated $172 million for a June deployment aimed at responding to anti-ICE demonstrations. Other reported costs include about $15 million for Portland, $13 million for Chicago, and $3 million for Memphis.
Controversy and legal challenges
The D.C. deployment drew scrutiny because the capital’s falling crime rate appeared to contradict public warnings about rising disorder; some National Guard members were later reported to have had little to do other than remove trash from streets. Critics have called the operations wasteful and legally questionable.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said: “If Donald Trump is burning through hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on his authoritarian campaign of intimidation, the American people deserve to know about it.”
Federal judges have also intervened. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut of Oregon ruled that the federalization of 200 Oregon National Guard members and the deployment of federalized California and Texas Guards to an ICE facility in Portland exceeded presidential authority and violated the Tenth Amendment. A federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit blocked efforts to federalize state troops for Chicago operations; the administration has filed an emergency stay request with the Supreme Court.
Administration response and legal authority cited
A White House spokesperson told The Independent that the president acted to protect federal officers and assets, describing the deployments as lawful responses to unrest. The administration has cited the Insurrection Act of 1807 as the statutory basis for some actions; however, reports note the president has repeatedly overstated historical precedent, incorrectly claiming an unnamed predecessor invoked the act 28 times. The Brennan Center for Justice records that no president has used the Insurrection Act more than Ulysses S. Grant, who invoked it six times.
Scope of mobilization and on-the-ground effects
As part of efforts tied to immigration and public-order operations, the National Guard was activated in seven states: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, and Texas. The Department of Defense also directed Guard units in all 50 states and four territories to organize “quick response forces” equipped with batons, body shields, Tasers and chemical irritants to respond to civil unrest.
Operations in Chicago have been among the most contentious: reported raids on undocumented migrants produced roughly 3,000 arrests since early September and sparked confrontations between federal agents and protesters, including instances of tear gas use in residential areas and reports of injuries. Meanwhile, The Chicago Tribune reported that federal agents may begin withdrawing after two months of “Operation Midway Blitz” as personnel are reassigned and on-call task forces are phased out.
Transparency and budget questions
Eleven senators, including Tammy Duckworth and Elizabeth Warren, asked the Congressional Budget Office for an independent estimate of the projected cost of federalizing National Guard units for domestic security operations; that request had not been answered amid a government shutdown. Lawmakers and watchdogs continue to press for greater transparency about the expense and legal basis of these deployments.
What to watch next
The administration has publicly named additional cities — including Baltimore, New Orleans, New York City, Oakland, St. Louis, San Francisco and Seattle — as potential targets for future deployments. Legal challenges and judicial rulings will likely shape how and where federal forces can be used domestically going forward.