The nonpartisan CBO estimates President Trump’s National Guard deployments to U.S. cities cost about $496 million in 2025. Keeping current forces in place could add roughly $93 million per month, while each extra 1,000 troops would cost $18M–$21M. Legal challenges and shifting policy make future costs uncertain, and several deployments have been paused pending court review. Lawmakers criticized the operations as wasteful and harmful to military readiness.
CBO: Trump’s National Guard Deployments Cost About $496M in 2025 — Legal Challenges, Monthly Costs Highlighted
Soldiers assigned to the Florida National Guard assist the U.S. Secret Service in a search for a lost item in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. (Spc. Paris Hayes/U.S. Army National Guard)(Spc. Paris Hayes)
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to U.S. cities cost taxpayers roughly $496 million in 2025.
CBO Findings
The agency said keeping current troop levels in place could add about $93 million per month to that total. It also estimated that each additional activation of 1,000 service members would likely cost between $18 million and $21 million.
"The costs of those or other deployments in the future are highly uncertain, mainly because the scale, length, and location of such deployments are difficult to predict accurately. That uncertainty is compounded by legal challenges, which have stopped deployments to some cities, and by changes in the Administration’s policies."
Where Troops Were Sent
In June, Mr. Trump ordered National Guard personnel to Los Angeles to protect government workers and property amid protests tied to his administration’s immigration policies. He later ordered troops to Chicago; Memphis, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; New Orleans; and Washington, D.C. Officials say some deployments were justified as measures to combat crime.
Deployments to Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland — which proceeded over the objections of state and local officials — have since been paused while courts consider legal challenges.
Washington, D.C. Costs And Future Presence
Mr. Trump indicated troops would remain stationed in Washington through the remainder of 2026. The CBO calculated that sustaining 2,950 personnel in the capital would cost about $55 million per month.
Political Reaction
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, called the deployments a misuse of public funds: "That’s why we’ve called for this full, independent analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to get a detailed understanding of the cost. Trump is weaponizing taxpayer funds to illegally tighten his authoritarian grip on our communities. It must end."
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a combat veteran, warned the operations "are not just an immense waste of taxpayer dollars; they are harmful to our military’s readiness, morale and resources and create an incredibly dangerous precedent."
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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