The National Guard presence in the capital, which once reached over 26,000 troops and will continue into the spring, will cost taxpayers nearly half a billion dollars, Pentagon officials said.

The Guard presence began with just 340 citizen-soldiers helping to direct traffic on Jan. 6, the day the Capitol was overrun by pro-Trump rioters. It quickly ramped up to include troops from all 50 states, three U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia following the violence, and those military personnel were helping lock down the city ahead of now-President Biden’s inauguration.