President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Washington has had a largely negative impact on the city, despite his claims of success. Crime rates were already falling before the Guard’s arrival. Rather than improving public safety, the Guard’s presence has largely served as a show of force aimed at satisfying the President’s perception of rising crime.
The operation’s financial burden on Washington taxpayers has been significant. According to CNN, the deployment costs the federal government roughly $1 million per day, amounting to an estimated $30 million total. Yet, the results have not reflected this high budget. Reports suggest the National Guard has made between 465 and 1,000 arrests, a relatively small number given the scale and cost of the operation. The Washington Post wrote that the city was already experiencing record-low crime rates, suggesting the National Guard’s presence has had little measurable impact on public safety.
Even those directly connected to the Guard have questioned the mission’s purpose. A father of a Guardsman from Tennessee told CNN, “I don’t know what he thought he’d be doing, but I really don’t think he thought he’d just be walking around for 12 hours every day.”
The deployment’s economic consequences on Washington business have also been severe. Restaurants and small businesses, which were already struggling to recover from pandemic losses, have faced additional strain. Axios reports that one Georgetown restaurant had to fire three employees, cut remaining staff hours, and shrink its menu to stay afloat. The same restaurant has seen sales fall by 40 to 50 percent compared to the previous year.
Shawn Townsend, CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, underscored the crisis by telling Axios, “This is our pandemic 2.0; we could be heading for a potential panic. I’ve heard from folks that won’t renew leases or even consider D.C.”
What was meant to be a demonstration of federal control has instead disrupted local life and harmed the city’s economy. If Congress moves to challenge the D.C. Home Rule Act, as some have signaled, the federal takeover could even be extended beyond the scheduled Sept. 10 end date, prolonging the damage.
Republican leaders must reckon with the costs of continuing to support this deployment. The National Guard has done little to make Washington safer, while simultaneously driving down business revenue and straining the city’s recovery. The deployment has achieved the opposite of protecting and strengthening its communities.
