Politics

The National Guard will remain deployed in Washington, D.C., through Inauguration Day 2029 as part of President Trump's anti-crime mission in the city, unless the president deems otherwise, the Pentagon confirmed to NPR.

The announcement comes as the number of troops in the city has essentially doubled to nearly 5,000 from more than 20 states in recent weeks as part of a "summer surge" of law enforcement announced by federal officials in May.

The current cost of the deployment is more than $3 million per day, according to an estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Trump first deployed the National Guard to D.C. in August of 2025 — something the president can do because of the unique status of the city — after declaring a "crime emergency" and launching the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, despite violent crime hitting a 30-year low. The emergency declaration ended a month later, but the task force and troop presence have continued.