Pentagon has spent over $49 million feeding National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., report says

The Pentagon has spent more than $49 million since October 2025 on meals for National Guard troops deployed in Washington, D.C., according to an investigation by the Washington Sun. 1 2 The Independent says the Washington Sun cited four government contracts, including one worth $15.6 million for "catered breakfast, lunch and dinner and midnight meals for service members" and another worth $9.9 million for "catered meals" from May through June; Maryland-based Sardi's Catering received upwards of $33 million. 2 Another $20 million could be spent on feeding the troops by the end of 2026, according to the report. 1 2

President Donald Trump first ordered troops into the city in August 2025, announcing an initial 800 troops and a monthlong federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department, saying he wanted to combat crime. 2 The Independent says the mission grew to more than 4,000 troops; the Washington Examiner says roughly 3,000 were quartered in the city as of September. The deployment is scheduled to run through the rest of Trump's second term. 2 1 The Washington Examiner says the meals served troops assigned to Trump's Safe and Beautiful Task Force and to America 250 celebrations, when more troops were activated for security. It reports the Pentagon is projected to spend $1.4 billion keeping troops in the city from October 2026 through January 2029. 1

The Congressional Budget Office estimated in January that deploying 1,000 troops to a city costs $18 million to $21 million a month (the Independent cites a floor of $18 million). The Independent adds that congressional Democrats estimated the D.C. deployment would exceed $600 million by August. 1 2 Officials have said the deployment from August 2025 to August 2026 led to 35 homicide suspects and over 100 known gang members being arrested, more than 3,200 narcotics arrests, nearly 2,000 illegal guns seized and 25 missing children located. The Justice Department says over 16,000 arrests have been made in D.C. under the anti-crime campaign. 1 In August the Justice Department cited year-over-year drops of 45 percent in homicides, 64 percent in carjackings and 33 percent in robberies. Reuters reported that only 1.3 per cent of criminal cases in D.C. Superior Court mention the Guard's soldiers. 2

The Washington Examiner notes that D.C. authorities had warned police staffing was "dangerously low", with the Metropolitan Police Department about 900 officers short. 1 Democrats have called the deployment an unnecessary use of taxpayer money. Michigan Senator Gary Peters said in February the Guard had been unable to identify measurable public safety outcomes attributable to it, calling it "a very expensive publicity stunt." 2 In November a judge ruled the deployment unlawful and ordered it overturned, but a federal appeals court let the troops stay while the case proceeds. Neither outlet reports a Pentagon response; both said they contacted it. 2 1