"The Price Tag of Trump's Urban Occupations: Half a Billion Dollars and Counting"
President Donald Trump's deployment of active-duty troops and National Guard members to occupy six Democratic-led cities has come at a steep price - half a billion dollars. According to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, these urban occupations have already cost taxpayers $496 million in 2025, with projections suggesting that this number could exceed $1 billion by the end of the year.
The deployments, which were initially intended to quell dissent and assist anti-immigration efforts, have been criticized for their authoritarian nature. "Our military budget is not a slush fund for the President to carry out his political stunts," said Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). "Our National Guard and Marines are needed to respond to natural disasters and national security threats, not to be used as a tool of intimidation."
The Trump administration has been accused of using the military to silence dissent and control marginalized communities. In Washington D.C., for example, troops have been deployed to address what they claim is an uptick in crime, although critics argue that this justification is baseless. The deployment has cost taxpayers $660 million so far, with projections suggesting that it could exceed $1 billion by the end of the year.
The CBO's report comes as Trump continues to threaten to deploy troops into other cities across the US, including Baltimore, New York City, Oakland, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Seattle. The Intercept has long argued that these deployments are a threat to democracy and press freedom, and that they undermine the principles of American governance.
As The Intercept continues to cover Trump's assault on democracy, it relies on the support of its members. "We need your help to expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026," said Ben Messig, The Intercept's editor-in-chief. "Join us and together we can defend press freedom and hold those in power accountable."
President Donald Trump's deployment of active-duty troops and National Guard members to occupy six Democratic-led cities has come at a steep price - half a billion dollars. According to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, these urban occupations have already cost taxpayers $496 million in 2025, with projections suggesting that this number could exceed $1 billion by the end of the year.
The deployments, which were initially intended to quell dissent and assist anti-immigration efforts, have been criticized for their authoritarian nature. "Our military budget is not a slush fund for the President to carry out his political stunts," said Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). "Our National Guard and Marines are needed to respond to natural disasters and national security threats, not to be used as a tool of intimidation."
The Trump administration has been accused of using the military to silence dissent and control marginalized communities. In Washington D.C., for example, troops have been deployed to address what they claim is an uptick in crime, although critics argue that this justification is baseless. The deployment has cost taxpayers $660 million so far, with projections suggesting that it could exceed $1 billion by the end of the year.
The CBO's report comes as Trump continues to threaten to deploy troops into other cities across the US, including Baltimore, New York City, Oakland, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Seattle. The Intercept has long argued that these deployments are a threat to democracy and press freedom, and that they undermine the principles of American governance.
As The Intercept continues to cover Trump's assault on democracy, it relies on the support of its members. "We need your help to expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026," said Ben Messig, The Intercept's editor-in-chief. "Join us and together we can defend press freedom and hold those in power accountable."
come on guys, you gotta chill out about trump deploying troops to cities. it's like he's trying to protect america from chaos or something lol. i mean, 500 million dollars is a pretty steep price but what's the alternative? a bunch of riots and looting? 
no thanks. the senator lady is just trying to stir up drama as usual. and btw, have you seen the state of some of these cities? crime rates are crazy! maybe trump's just trying to help out 
. It's wild that the military is being used to silence dissent and intimidate communities instead of actually helping them out. The fact that there are projections of it costing over $1 billion by the end of the year is just insane! 
I mean, what's next? Deploying troops to occupy schools or something?! 
it's wild how much taxpayer dollars are being pumped into this whole thing... half a billion bucks just for Trump to flex his muscles in cities he disagrees with? 
. It's like he's trying to create chaos and then just throws more money at the problem without really addressing the root causes. And what about the National Guard members who are being deployed? Are they really just there to "assist" with anti-immigration efforts or is that just a cover for something else? 
. The fact that the CBO report highlights how expensive and unnecessary these deployments are should be a wake-up call for all of us 
.
. Do we want to be one where our military is used as a tool for intimidation, or do we want to stand up for democracy and press freedom? 
. but honestly, this whole thing is making me super frustrated 
. And for what? To quell dissent and silence marginalized communities? Not cool, bro 
.
. Their reporting is on point, and they need our support to keep doing their thing 
.
, it seems like a huge waste of taxpayer money, $496 million is crazy! I mean, what's the real issue here? Crime rates are not as high as they're making them out to be, and using troops to control dissent is just scarily authoritarian 
And don't even get me started on the whole "authoritarian nature" thing... sounds like they're trying to make an example out of some cities just to say "we did it". Meanwhile, the actual crime rates are probably still pretty low. I mean, can you imagine if they spent that kind of money on actual law enforcement and community programs instead? 
. I mean, half a billion dollars is crazy 
. The CBO report confirms what many of us already knew - this administration has no qualms about using military might to get its way 
to keep fighting for press freedom and democracy 
. Our military shouldn't be used as a tool for politics, it should be there to protect us from actual threats 
.
. It's like Trump thinks our military budget is his own personal piggy bank 
. We need to stand up for press freedom and democracy, but we also need to be smart about how we do it 
.
The Intercept is doing its part to keep us informed (or so they claim), but let's be real, folks. If we're going to pay attention to this stuff, we need some actual journalism, not just clickbait headlines and sensationalized articles. And by the way, who's counting those $1 billion projections? 
. We need to focus on getting real help to these communities, not just deploying troops because Trump is mad about something 
. I went there yesterday with my squad and we all agreed it was SO worth it! The lines are always a thing, but the burgers are TO DIE FOR 
. I swear, it's like they're using some kinda secret sauce or something 
. Anyway, back to Trump... yeah, half a billion bucks is a lot of clams 