DC's National Guard: High Cost, Low Crime Impact?
DC's National Guard: High Cost, Low Crime Impact?
Trump deployed thousands of National Guard to Washington D.C., costing millions. But are they stopping crime, or just patrolling wealthy areas? New report raises questions.
Thousands of National Guard members were deployed by Donald Trump onto the streets of Washington, D.C., in August 2025, with the stated aim of tackling "out of control" crime in the city. This massive deployment came with a significant price tag, estimated by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to have already cost $223 million by the end of 2025.
However, a recent report from Reuters suggests that despite the high cost and large presence, the National Guard's impact on crime-stopping has been minimal. Their analysis found that only a mere 1.3 percent of criminal cases filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, which handles most of the city's criminal prosecutions, actually mention the National Guard's soldiers.
Critiques from local community leaders echo this sentiment. Rev. Norman Nixon, pastor at the Union Temple Baptist Church, was quoted saying, "It's like they brought people here from all across the country, just to be here." He further alleged, "And they harass people a lot more than they are actually doing police work." The Reuters investigation also revealed that these deputized U.S. Marshals were primarily deployed to wealthier and predominantly white neighborhoods within the city. Moreover, there were no references to soldiers conducting law enforcement activities in areas accounting for approximately 82 percent of the city's 859 murders over the past five years.
Out of the 217 criminal cases in Washington D.C. where the National Guard was mentioned, only 62 involved soldiers single-handedly stopping individuals suspected of committing crimes. Many of these instances were for minor offenses, such as shoplifting.
In response to inquiries about the soldiers' work, a spokesperson for the White House maintained that Trump had "driven down crime, beautified the city and improved quality of life for countless individuals."
