What happened
The US government has spent approximately $49 million on food for National Guard troops deployed in Washington, D.C. since October 2025. The troops were deployed as part of an initiative to address crime in the district. Around 3,000 troops were stationed in the city as of September, with their food costs averaging between $18 million to $21 million per month for every 1,000 troops.
The deployment has led to numerous arrests, including 35 homicide suspects, over 100 known gang members, and more than 3,200 narcotics arrests. Additionally, nearly 2,000 illegal guns were seized, and 25 missing children were located and returned home. The total number of arrests made in D.C. due to the anti-crime campaign is over 16,000, according to the Justice Department.
The Pentagon estimates that it will spend an additional $20 million on food for the troops by the end of 2026 and a total of $1.4 billion to keep them deployed in the city until January 2029. The deployment was made in response to warnings from D.C. authorities that police department staffing levels were dangerously low, with a shortage of around 900 officers.
