The National Guard presence in Washington, D.C., isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered troops to remain in the capital until at least February—and possibly longer—extending what was supposed to be a temporary mission.
Politico says the original orders were supposed to end in November, but Hegseth quietly signed off on keeping the troops in D.C. for much longer. An anonymous defense official told Politico the deployment will continue “until the mission is considered complete,” in the outlet’s words.
As of Wednesday morning, CNN reports that 2,387 National Guard troops are stationed across D.C., including service members from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, and D.C. itself. The operation costs roughly $1 million a day, which is rough optics during the GOP’s government shutdown.
Trump first ordered the guard into Washington in August, claiming the city needed help fighting crime—even though crime rates had recently hit a 30-year low before his intervention.
The troops operate under Title 32 orders, which allow them to perform law enforcement duties while remaining under state control. Politico notes that similar domestic deployments typically fall under Title 10 orders, which federalize troops and prohibit them from engaging in law enforcement activities.
A member of the District of Columbia National Guard picks up trash on the National Mall on Aug. 16.
In practice, the troops haven’t been patrolling for crime. Over the past two months, they’ve spent much of their time picking up trash, spreading mulch, and performing other “beautification” projects around the National Mall and other heavily trafficked areas. According to guard statistics, units assigned to “Task Force Beautification” have collected 1,099 bags of trash and spread more than 1,000 cubic yards of mulch.
Local officials have criticized the deployment as wasteful and unnecessary. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has sued the Trump administration, arguing the city never consented to the federal presence. A federal judge heard arguments in the case last week.
CNN, which first reported the extension, noted growing frustration among guard members over the open-ended mission. Many are leaving behind better-paying civilian jobs to serve.
The situation in D.C. is also part of a broader legal and political battle over Trump’s National Guard deployments. The administration has sent troops to cities including Los Angeles and Memphis—moves that drew strong pushback from Democratic governors like California’s Gavin Newsom.
Court orders have stymied similar deployments in Portland and Chicago.
Despite repeated rulings that such actions exceed the president’s constitutional authority, the White House is reportedly preparing to deploy as many as 23,500 guard troops nationwide as part of a supposed public-safety campaign.
Vice President JD Vance spelled out the administration’s position in August.
“If the president of the United States thinks that he has to extend this order to ensure that people have access to public safety, then that’s exactly what he’ll do,” he said.
What began as a temporary deployment has become a stark example of Trump’s expansion of federal authority in the nation’s capital. As early as July, he was openly floating the idea of taking over D.C. And by September, he was threatening to seize control of its police department after city officials refused to cooperate with federal immigration efforts.
Now, that vision is playing out on the ground: Thousands of armed troops stationed in the capital, an aimless mission, and taxpayers footing the bill for an expensive operation with no clear end in sight.
