Trump administration signs $292 M housing deal for National Guard in Washington DC

The Trump administration awarded a $292 million contract to real‑estate firm Placemakr to build up to 2,000 apartment‑style units for National Guard troops deployed in Washington, D.C. The deal is described as the largest inter‑agency lodging acquisition in National Guard history and is intended to move troops from scattered hotel rooms into permanent housing.

Approximately 5,150 Guard members – 599 from the D.C. Guard and the remainder from 21 other states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands – remain in the capital. The deployment, ordered by President Donald Trump in September 2025, is slated to stay in place until Inauguration Day in January 2029. Monthly cost estimates run between $18 million and $21 million for 1,000 troops, implying a total expense of about $1 billion per year for the force.

The contract, signed with Placemakr, a company that manages short‑term housing in the city and surrounding Virginia, is expected to cost roughly half as much as the hotel accommodations it replaces. The initiative has drawn criticism for lacking a clear end date and for the sizable taxpayer burden it imposes.