Washington D.C. National Guard deployment extended to 2029

The Pentagon has extended the National Guard presence in Washington, D.C. through January 20, 2029, the end of former President Donald Trump’s second term. The force, which began with about 800 troops in August 2022 after a “crime emergency” declaration, now totals more than 5,100 soldiers after additional contributions from over 20 states for the city’s semiquincentennial celebrations.

The deployment has faced legal challenges from the D.C. Attorney General and a district court that initially ordered the troops to leave, a ruling later paused by the U.S. Court of Appeals. Critics note the operation costs D.C. taxpayers roughly $1.65 million per day and a Niskanen Center study found no measurable impact on violent crime, though property crimes fell 24 percent. The stay marks the longest National Guard deployment in an American city, surpassing the 1968 Wilmington, Delaware deployment.

Legal scholars cite the Insurrection Act and Posse Comitatus Act in debating the President’s authority to station troops in the capital, while local businesses contend with street closures and security restrictions.