A group of veterans is sounding the alarm on how much President Donald Trump has spent on a Washington, D.C., crackdown.
In a Wednesday piece, the Trump administration's spending to deploy National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., was flagged by Janessa Goldbeck, the CEO of Vet Voice Foundation, a veterans advocacy nonprofit. The Pentagon has already spent more than $700 million to deploy troops in the nation's capital since last August, and their continued deployment is expected to cost another $1.43 billion, Goldbeck wrote, citing estimates from the Pentagon comptroller nominee.
"Two billion dollars is a staggering sum to spend making the exceptional feel routine," Goldbeck wrote. "The people best positioned to see that damage coming are the ones who wore the uniform and meant the oath. That is why we are among the loudest sounding the alarm."
According to Goldbeck, the bill "works out to roughly $51 million a month to keep somewhere around 2,500 soldiers standing post in the capital." She also noted that the Vet Voice Foundation signed an amicus brief in D.C.'s lawsuit against Trump for the deployment.
Goldbeck also warned about "the line" that is "moved a little further every month this continues," referring to how each additional month of deployment makes armed troops on American streets seem more normal.
She warned the Trump administration will keep pushing that line until there are "soldiers standing watch over an American city" so that it stops "looking as shocking as it is." She added, "A military asked to stand in adversarial posture against its own fellow citizens, in a fight that is transparently political, will over time lose the respect it has earned."
These deployments have already seen casualties, as well, Goldbeck noted. "In November, two Guard members were shot while patrolling blocks from the White House. One of them died," she pointed out.
"That is the reality of putting soldiers into a role built for police," she said. "On a mission whose purpose keeps shifting: the same troops sent to guard the Reflecting Pool and haul trash off city streets are the ones exposed to lethal risk."