Senate Democrats Gary Peters of Michigan and Andy Kim of New Jersey are accusing President Donald Trump of wasting taxpayer money by keeping National Guard troops deployed in Washington, D.C., under what they describe as an open-ended and ineffective mission that costs roughly $1.65 million per day.
In a new oversight report released Thursday, Peters and Kim argue the deployment has spent hundreds of millions of dollars with no measurable public safety gains, while also diverting resources from national security and other missions.
"Protecting public safety is essential, but this deployment has spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars without making our nation's capital any safer," said Peters, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Peters also criticized the administration for lacking benchmarks or an exit strategy.
"The Trump Administration's decision to keep the National Guard in our nation's capital without clear goals, measurable outcomes, or an end date diverts critical resources away from important national security and public safety missions that keep our communities safe," he added.
The report estimates the deployment will cost $332 million by Feb. 28, 2026, largely to feed, house, and deploy Guard troops across the city. The senators warn that could be only a fraction of the total bill, citing press reports indicating the operation may be extended through the end of 2026.
According to the report, Guard leadership could not provide a clear end date and suggested they were "driving toward zero" crime and overdoses, a goal the senators called unrealistic and potentially never-ending.
The report also claims the deployment has strained local policing, alleging that dozens of Metropolitan Police Department officers have been forced onto leave while assigned to Guard duty, reducing the number of officers available during a staffing shortage.
Peters and Kim further raised concerns about the Guard using software and social media monitoring tools, including Maven Smart System, Dataminr, Meltwater, and Cision, warning of possible privacy and civil liberties issues.
The report concludes that while crime reduction is important, the Guard mission has blurred the line between military and civilian law enforcement, weakened readiness, and failed to demonstrate clear results, while costing taxpayers more than $1.65 million a day.
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