From June through the end of 2025, the Trump administration deployed Guardsmen and Marines to six cities: Los Angeles, Memphis, Portland, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and New Orleans. 200 soldiers also remained on standby in Texas after their withdrawal from Chicago.
According to CBO, the total cost of these operations (except for New Orleans, where Guard operations began at the end of the year) was $496 million.
What were the costs of National Guard operations in cities?
Which cities did the National Guard visit?
Why didn't the Guards go into Chicago and Portland?
How long will the National Guard remain in Washington?
The National Guard will remain in Washington
The office noted that it is difficult to accurately estimate the costs of these operations due to variables regarding their scale, length and location. “This uncertainty is deepened by legal issues that have suspended the sending of troops to some cities and changes in the administration's policy,” it stressed.
Continuing to deploy the National Guard in the same numbers as at the end of 2025 would cost $93 million. per month, the office said in response to a question from Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley about the costs of such operations.
On December 31, Trump announced the withdrawal of the National Guard from Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago. However, he did not rule out their return if crime increases in these Democrat-ruled cities.
In practice, troops never entered either Chicago or Portland due to federal court decisions that deemed it illegal to send troops against the will of the state authorities. In Los Angeles – where they were deployed in response to riots and protests against immigration authorities raiding undocumented immigrants – soldiers were stationed for months, although most of the forces were withdrawn during the summer.
National Guard forces are present in Washington, D.C., Memphis and New Orleans, where they are located with the permission of local authorities. According to the media, the mission in Washington, whose goal – according to Trump – is to fight crime, has been extended until the end of 2026.
