Keeping National Guard members stationed in Washington D.C., since the January 6 Capitol riots has cost an estimated $480 million, with as many as 5,000 to 7,000 troops set to stay in the district until mid-March.
Last month 26,000 National Guard members were deployed to help secure the inauguration. A number of National Guard units have had their deployments extended involuntarily, though most of the troops will stay in Washington voluntarily. Two officials familiar with the plan told Bloomberg that the deployment would cost nearly half-a-billion dollars and said the Army could announce the figure as soon as Friday.
Federal law enforcement has called for the troops to remain in Washington, D.C., though National Guard members stationed at the Capitol have not been informed of any specific threat.
The troops will remain in the district to protect the Capitol from what was described as “impeachment security concerns,” including the potential for demonstrations during the Senate trial which is set to begin next week, according to Politico.
Guard members told the outlet they had not been informed of any specific threat, though federal authorities are concerned about the potential for continued unrest, particularly sparked by far-right militia groups. There is also concern that unrest could occur on March 4, the date some QAnon conspiracy theorists believe Trump will be inaugurated a second time.
The FBI also predicted widespread rioting at state capitols across the country on the Saturday after the January 6 Capitol Hill riot but no large protests ever materialized.
“We are not going to allow any surprises again,” one Guard member told Politico, referring to the lack of preparedness for the rioting last month.
When the Guard members first arrived in Washington, D.C. they expected to be deployed for a short-term mission and have since been given no official justifications, threat reports or any explanation for the extended mission, according to Politico.
Some lawmakers have criticized the decision to keep the National Guard members stationed in Washington.
“The lesson of the Capitol riot is not that we should quarter a standing army at the Capitol just in case, but rather that our security measures should be calibrated to the actual threats,” Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) said last month.
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