President Donald Trump extended the National Guard’s deployment to the District of Columbia until 2029.
National Guard deployment to major cities has become one of Trump’s most notable methods of attacking high crime, and he has sent troops to Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Memphis, Tennessee. The Washington deployment has become the largest and one of the most visible, recently increasing to 5,000 personnel.
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The deployment to the capital is now being extended to the end of Trump’s term in office, the Pentagon told several outlets.
The extension means the National Guard will remain in the capital for nearly four years total; the deployment began in August 2025.
The number of troops recently increased by 1,500, as part of what was dubbed the “DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force Summer Surge.”
“Our National Guard plans to grow their presence, with the number of expected visitors to the city. They will continue to provide presence for high visibility and support across the district so law enforcement can focus on their duties,” U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta said in May.
The surge was justified as needed to ensure the safety and cleanliness of the capital ahead of its America 250 anniversary celebrations.
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The Trump administration has touted the decrease in crime in the city around the deployment and the safer atmosphere in areas such as Union Station. Critics have complained about its high cost — the Congressional Budget Office estimated that it cost nearly $500 million to deploy troops to U.S. cities in 2025. Perceptions of the deployment’s optics have been mostly split along partisan lines.
The troops have mainly been deployed in show-of-force patrols in high-visibility areas. A study from the nonpartisan Niskanen Center think tank found the National Guard troop patrols led to a “measurable reduction in crime of approximately 24 percent.”
