Feb 23, 2026
Federal troops have become a reality in a number of major U.S. cities. But even if Americans haven’t seen the National Guard patrolling their streets, everyone’s footing the bill.
And now we know how much it’s costing taxpayers to put boots on the ground. A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report estimates the total cost of sending and stationing National Guard and active-duty Marine Corps personnel was roughly $496 million between June and December of 2025 (1).
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These findings included the deployments to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Memphis, Portland, and Chicago. Although the White House also sent troops to New Orleans, the estimated cost wasn’t included because the deployment happened at the end of the year.
CBO analysts noted that it’s difficult to project figures into the future because there’s no way to predict the size or duration of future deployments. However, if the federal government continues the same policies it did in 2025, it would cost $93 million every month.
The report’s authors also said it would cost $18 to $21 million per month to deploy and station 1,000 National Guard troops in a U.S. city in 2026.
Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon requested the CBO look into this data, and released a press statement (2) following the findings, saying that, “The American people deserve to know how many hundreds of millions of their hard-earned dollars have been and are being wasted on Trump’s reckless and haphazard deployment of National Guard troops.”
Merkley went on to say that, “Trump is weaponizing taxpayer funds to illegally tighten his authoritarian grip on our communities. It must end.”
But do most average taxpayers agree with the Senator’s view of the White House’s spending decisions? And, if they do, is there any way to stop paying for this policy?
Essential service, or reckless spending?
Generally, taxpayers don’t have much faith in the government’s fiscal responsibility. A Cato Institute fiscal policy survey (3) found that 85% of respondents said increased government spending in the past decade either worsened their quality of life or made no noticeable difference. On average, Americans believe the government squanders $0.59 for every $1 it spends.
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However, when it comes to National Guard deployments into U.S. cities, opinions are a bit more nuanced.
According to a September 2025 NPR-Ipsos poll (4), 49% opposed and 38% supported deploying the National Guard to a city in their state for law enforcement. When asked specifically about the Washington, D.C., and Memphis deployments, overall sentiment was the same, with opposition in the 40% range and support in the 30% range.
However, looking more closely at these numbers, it’s easy to see how political affiliation predicts a taxpayer’s views. For example, 70% of Democrats strongly opposed the deployment to D.C., while only 6% of Republicans did.
To dive deeper into this hot-button issue, Ipsos interviewed a few respondents in different states and with different political affiliations.
One retiree and registered Democrat from Missouri, Les Blackmore, criticized the government’s policy, saying the troops are only “there for show.” Blackmore went on to say, “It's not America to me, to see that — a national force policing everyday lives of Americans on our streets and highways.”
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On the other side, Republican stay-at-home mom Bianca Gallegos, from Idaho, expressed fears over an increase in drugs and gang-related violence. Gallegos said she felt Memphis and D.C. were “pretty bad in their crime rate,” and that “If [sending troops is] something Trump feels needs to be done, then I think it should be done.”
Although the NPR-Ipsos survey shows a partisan divide over the value of spending so much on these deployments, most respondents in the CATO Institute survey said they’d cut 40% of the government’s spending to get the budget on track.
Average taxpayers don’t have the powers of U.S. lawmakers to make those kinds of decisions, but there are ways they can fight back against wasteful spending.
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How taxpayers can have a say in government spending
First off, you don’t need a seat on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to see how the government is spending your tax dollars. One easy way to keep an eye on what you’re funding is to visit USAspending.gov, which serves as the federal government’s official spending database.
Once on this website, you can search by agency, program name, recipient or location to see exactly how much money was spent and for what purpose.
If you find any spending you oppose after your research, take that information directly to your elected officials. Calling or emailing a congressional office and referencing a concrete example of wasteful spending demonstrates that you’re informed and paying attention.
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But if you still feel like you’re not making a difference, there’s another track to take: legally reduce your own tax burden. Not only does this take away money for the government to spend, it also helps you keep more dollars in your bank account.
One simple strategy is to make sure you max out contributions to tax-advantaged retirement accounts like 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts (IRAs) each year. (For 2026, the limit increased (5) to $24,500 and $7,500, respectively.)
It’s also worthwhile to look into all available tax credits and deductions, and whether you qualify. These include policies like the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, education credits and energy credits, all of which you can research on the IRS’s website (6).
For business owners and self-employed individuals, there are many potential deductions you could add to your income tax forms each year, including home office expenses and equipment purchases.
Lastly, if you need personalized guidance on minimizing how much you pay Uncle Sam, the best advice is to work with a professional accountant. Although it costs more upfront to hire a tax professional, it’s more likely they’ll spot legal ways to reduce how much you’re contributing to government waste.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
Congressional Budget Office (1); www.merkley.senate.gov (2); Cato Institute (3); NPR (4); IRS (5), (6)
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Eric Esposito is a freelance contributor on MoneyWise with an interest in financial markets, investing, and trading. In addition to MoneyWise, Eric’s work can be found on financial publications such as WallStreetZen and CoinDesk. When not researching the latest stock market trends, Eric enjoys biking, walking his dog, and spending time with family in Central Florida. Eric holds a BA in English from Quinnipiac University.
