The deployment of over 10,000 National Guard soldiers and active-duty Marines across six major US cities in 2025 cost approximately $496 million, according to estimates released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
CBO Director Phillip Swagel confirmed the total expenditure through the end of December 2025, noting the deployments were initiated by the administration to deter crime and support federal immigration enforcement efforts. The actual troop presence fluctuated throughout the year due to legal challenges from state and local authorities.
By the close of 2025, just over 5,000 personnel remained activated, and the CBO projects that maintaining this reduced deployment size will cost an estimated $93 million per month throughout 2026. Operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland have since been suspended.
The costliest single operation was in Washington, DC, where 2,950 troops were deployed, accumulating $232 million in costs for 2025. The CBO estimates the ongoing presence in the capital will cost $55 million monthly if maintained through the end of 2026.
Los Angeles accounted for the second-largest expenditure at $193 million in 2025, stemming from the activation of 4,200 National Guard members and 700 Marines over several months. Deployments in Portland and Chicago were significantly less costly, totaling $26 million and $21 million monthly, respectively, at their peaks.
Looking ahead, the CBO noted that future deployments remain highly uncertain due to unpredictable scale and duration. Deploying 1,000 National Guardsmen to an average city in 2026 is estimated to cost between $18 million and $21 million per month, contingent on local cost of living.
Operations continue in Memphis and New Orleans, with the latter seeing 350 National Guard members deployed at a cost of $6 million monthly. The CBO report provides a clear fiscal accounting of the administration's use of federalized domestic military assets during the preceding year.
