CBO: Trump’s City Troop Deployments Cost U.S. Taxpayers $496 Million/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Federal troop deployments under the Trump administration have cost nearly $500 million, with projections nearing $1 billion by year’s end. The CBO report reveals expenses tied to National Guard and Marine deployments in U.S. cities. Critics argue the costs are excessive and constitutionally questionable.
Federal Troop Costs in Cities Quick Looks
- CBO says federal deployments have cost $496 million as of December 2025
- Annual costs could exceed $1 billion if operations continue at current pace
- Deployments include cities like Portland, Chicago, Memphis, and Los Angeles
- Democrat Sen. Jeff Merkley requested the nonpartisan cost analysis
- Each additional 1,000-troop deployment could cost $18M–$21M per month
- Troops remain active in Washington through all of 2026
- A federal judge ruled the Los Angeles deployment violated federal law
- Critics call troop use an abuse of executive authority
- White House defends deployments as key to reducing violent crime
- Legal and political challenges to the strategy continue to grow
Deep Look: Trump’s Urban Troop Deployments Have Cost Nearly $500 Million So Far
WASHINGTON — The deployment of federal troops to six major U.S. cities under President Donald Trump has already cost American taxpayers $496 million, according to new data released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). If the current level of deployment continues through 2026, costs could surpass $1 billion.
The Trump administration has framed the military presence in cities such as Chicago, Portland, and Memphis as necessary to suppress violent crime and support strained local law enforcement agencies. However, opponents — including legal scholars and state officials — argue that the effort represents a misuse of federal power and violates constitutional limits on executive authority.
The latest CBO report was issued in response to a request from Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon and the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee. Merkley criticized the deployments as fiscally irresponsible and politically motivated.
“The American people deserve to know how many hundreds of millions of their hard-earned dollars have been and are being wasted on Trump’s reckless and haphazard deployment of National Guard troops,” Merkley said in a public statement.
Breakdown of Costs and Ongoing Operations
According to the CBO, the current cost estimates include deployments of both National Guard and active-duty Marines to multiple cities through the end of December. In addition to Chicago, Portland, and Memphis, costs were tallied for federal troop operations in Los Angeles during June, a period marked by large-scale protests tied to a wave of immigration arrests.
The CBO estimates that keeping troops stationed in these cities adds roughly $93 million per month to the federal tab. That estimate does not yet include the December 2025 deployment to New Orleans.
Future deployments could carry significant additional expenses. The CBO projects that sending 1,000 National Guard personnel to any U.S. city in 2026 would cost between $18 million and $21 million per month, depending on factors like local cost of living and logistics.
An internal memo obtained earlier this month indicates that National Guard troops will remain stationed in Washington, D.C., throughout all of 2026 — raising further cost implications.
Legal and Political Fallout
The controversial deployments have not gone unchallenged. Legal disputes have emerged in several cities, and a federal judge in California ruled in January that the administration “willfully” violated federal law by dispatching National Guard units to Los Angeles without proper authorization.
Despite mounting criticism, the White House remains firm in its defense of the operations. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson declined to address the CBO’s cost estimates directly but claimed that the deployments have had a measurable impact on public safety.
“Thanks to the Trump Administration’s highly successful efforts to drive down violent crime, cities like Memphis and D.C. are much safer for residents and visitors,” Jackson said. “The media should talk to individuals who are able to go about their daily lives without fear of being assaulted, carjacked, or robbed.”
However, Democrats and civil liberties advocates argue that the federal intervention undermines local governance and militarizes domestic law enforcement in ways that could have long-term consequences for civil rights.
Looking Ahead
As costs climb and opposition grows, the troop deployments remain a flashpoint in American politics. With legal proceedings pending and further deployments likely, the fiscal and constitutional ramifications of the federal troop strategy are expected to dominate both budget hearings and campaign debates throughout 2026.
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