CBO Report: Domestic Troop Deployments in 2025 Nearing $500 Million, With Ongoing Costs Looming
The domestic deployment of U.S. military personnel to several major cities in 2025 carried a price tag of nearly half a billion dollars, according to a cost estimate released this week by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The report, commissioned by Democratic senators, sheds light on the significant and ongoing fiscal impact of using troops for domestic law enforcement support.
The CBO estimates total costs reached approximately $496 million by the end of December 2025 for deployments to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Memphis, Portland, and Chicago. Maintaining deployment levels seen in late December could cost an additional $93 million per month, the office warned.
The mobilizations began in June 2025, when the administration deployed 700 active-duty Marines and National Guard members to Los Angeles following large-scale protests. This set a precedent for subsequent deployments to other cities. While the Los Angeles operation largely wound down last summer, a contingent remained through year's end. About 200 Texas National Guard members remain on standby for potential domestic duty at an estimated cost of $4 million monthly.
Not all deployments proceeded as planned. Legal challenges in Portland and Chicago prevented guardsmen from fully executing their intended missions. However, the CBO notes these hurdles did not reduce costs, as mobilized personnel awaiting deployment "incur essentially the same costs as deployed personnel." Both deployments officially ended on Jan. 21, 2026.
The most enduring and costly operation appears to be in the nation's capital. The deployment to Washington, D.C., which is expected to continue through much of 2026, involves nearly 3,000 personnel and could cost around $55 million per month. The CBO estimates that deploying 1,000 National Guard members to any city generally costs $18 to $21 million monthly, varying with the local cost of living.
"The American people deserve to know how many hundreds of millions of their hard-earned dollars have been and are being wasted on this reckless and haphazard deployment of National Guard troops," said Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, a ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, in a statement accompanying the report's release. The Pentagon declined to provide CBS News with separate cost estimates when asked.
The CBO analysis focused on personnel costs—military pay, benefits, lodging, food, and transportation—noting equipment expenses were likely minimal as operations mainly involved "foot patrols conducted by small units." The office cautioned that future costs are "highly uncertain," dependent on unpredictable factors like deployment scale and potential legal challenges.
Reader Reactions:
Marcus Chen, Policy Analyst at a D.C. Think Tank: "This CBO report provides crucial, nonpartisan data for a necessary debate. It forces us to weigh the substantial financial and institutional costs of domestic military deployments against their perceived security benefits. The ongoing D.C. deployment, in particular, demands rigorous oversight."
Rebecca Shaw, Small Business Owner in Portland: "Seeing those numbers is staggering. That's money that could have funded community programs, infrastructure, or real solutions. Having troops in our streets was divisive and frightening, and now we see the immense bill for that political theater. It's an outrage."
David P. Miller, Retired Army Colonel: "The National Guard is designed for these state support roles, but the scale and duration here are notable. The CBO is right to flag the cost uncertainty. Every extended deployment strains training cycles, equipment maintenance, and troop morale—intangibles not captured in a budget line."
Anya Flores, Graduate Student in Public Policy, Chicago: "The report highlights a critical inefficiency: spending millions on personnel who were legally blocked from performing their duties. It underscores how poorly planned these operations were from the start, costing taxpayers for no operational gain."