Federal Budget and Spending

The Congressional Budget Office projects President Trump’s unprecedented domestic use of the National Guard will cost about $1.1 billion in 2026 if current deployments continue, driven largely by a 2,690‑plus‑member force in Washington, D.C. that alone could total $660 million this year. In a report requested by 11 senators led by Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley, CBO estimates the remaining deployments in D.C., Memphis and New Orleans, plus 200 Texas Guard troops on standby, are burning roughly $93 million a month after similar operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland were wound down. The office says domestic Guard mobilizations cost about $496 million in 2025, while overall defense spending is poised to exceed $1 trillion under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Budget watchdogs interviewed by NPR argue it would be more cost‑effective to invest in local law enforcement, noting Guard units cannot perform routine arrests or searches, and question using federalized troops as a long‑term crime‑control tool. The White House declined comment, continuing months of silence about the deployments’ total price tag even as Guard members themselves have used encrypted chats to question the missions’ legality, duration and impact on morale.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that renaming the Department of Defense as the "Department of War" could cost up to $125 million. The estimate applies to President Trump’s proposed rebranding of the Pentagon.