Deployments of federal forces to US cities ordered by President Donald Trump cost nearly $500 million in 2025, according to estimates released on Wednesday by the Congressional Budget Office.
The CBO said the operations, which involved sending troops into cities governed by Democratic administrations, including Los Angeles and Washington, were aimed at containing what Trump described as unrest that was out of control. Legal challenges prevented similar deployments in other areas.
According to the budget office, the total cost of the deployments reached about $496 million by the end of December 2025. Additional monthly costs running into tens of millions of dollars are expected this year if the missions continue.
CBO Director Phillip Swagel said Washington was the most expensive operation, with costs reaching $223 million, and more than 2,600 National Guard members still deployed in the capital. Los Angeles followed, with costs of about $193 million, despite a larger number of troops being deployed there for a shorter period.
Swagel noted that future costs remain uncertain due to the difficulty of predicting the scale, duration and location of potential deployments.
He estimated that ongoing operations could cost around $6 million per month for 350 troops in New Orleans, about $28 million per month for 1,500 troops in Memphis, and up to $55 million per month for forces stationed in Washington.
Beyond domestic deployments, Trump has also authorized repeated uses of US military force abroad since returning to office for a second term a year ago. In the Middle East, he ordered an air campaign against the Houthi movement in Yemen and strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Closer to home, US forces targeted vessels Washington says are used for drug trafficking off the coast of South America and arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, transporting them to New York to face multiple charges, including drug trafficking.
Follow the latest news on Google News
