Trump administration live updates: Pentagon official says deploying National Guard to L.A. will cost $134 million

NBC News

a day ago

What to know today
NEW JERSEY ELECTIONS: Voters in New Jersey head to the polls today to pick the Democratic and Republican nominees for the governor's race in the first high-profile primaries since the November 2024 election.
PETE HEGSETH TESTIFIES: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparred with Democratic lawmakers while testifying this morning at a House hearing about the department's budget requests.
LOS ANGELES PROTESTS: A top Pentagon official at the hearing estimated that deploying members of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests would cost the department around $134 million.
TRUMP'S TESLA IS GONE: President Donald Trump's red Tesla, which he purchased to support Elon Musk, is no longer parked outside the White House after the duo's blow-up last week. Yesterday, the president told reporters that he may 'move the Tesla around a little bit.'
House Speaker Mike Johnson says California Gov. Newsom should be 'tarred and feathered'
Syedah Asghar and Rebecca Shabad
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said today that California Gov. Gavin Newsom 'ought to be tarred and feathered" as punishment for his handling of protests in Los Angeles.
Johnson stopped short of saying Newsom should be arrested — as Trump has suggested — saying he wouldn't offer that analysis, but claiming Newsom was an 'accomplice' in law enforcement agents being 'assaulted.'
'Look, that's not my lane. I'm not going to give you legal analysis on whether Gavin Newsom should be arrested, but he ought to be tarred and feathered. I'll say that,' Johnson told reporters at a press conference.
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Cost of National Guard and Marine deployment in L.A. is approximately $134 million, DOD official says
Megan Lebowitz
The estimated cost of deploying the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles is $134 million, according to Bryn MacDonnell, a special assistant to Hegseth. She said the costs are largely related to temporary duty travel costs such as travel, housing and food.
She was responding to a question from Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., who had asked for the estimated cost to deploy the National Guard and the Marines to respond to protests in Los Angeles.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill hits Trump over military in Los Angeles
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a New Jersey Democrat running for governor, criticized Trump's decision to send Marines to Los Angeles amid unrest over immigration raids.
'It's a dangerous situation to put military on the streets of the country,' she said after casting her ballot in today's primary.
Sherrill, who previously was a Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, said law enforcement and military personnel are trained in 'something very, very different.'
'If a governor feels that that is not the case, that governor can always go to the federal government to ask for support. That is not the case here,' Sherrill said.
Sherrill is one of six Democrats running for governor of New Jersey.
Abigail Spanberger has cash advantage in Virginia governor's race
Bridget Bowman
Former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger has a sizable cash advantage in the Virginia governor's race, according to new campaign finance reports filed yesterday.
Spanberger's campaign had $14.3 million in its account as of June 5, while GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears' campaign had almost $3 million on hand. Spanberger raised $6.4 million and spent $3.2 million from April 1 through June 5, while Earle-Sears raised $3.5 million and spent $4.6 million over that same period.
Spanberger and Earle-Sears are facing off in this year's gubernatorial race in Virginia to replace term-limited GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Rep. Ed Case to Hegseth: 'I don't think you're talking to the right people'
Megan Lebowitz
Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, challenged Hegseth about whether he thought cuts to foreign aid programs, much of which are outside the Defense Department's jurisdiction, affected Hegseth's job and the U.S. military.
Hegseth said no, arguing that programs like USAID were "wasteful and duplicitous." He said that he has "heard nothing about" allies' problems about international organizations, arguing the organizations were not "serving U.S. interests."
"I don't think you're talking to the right people," Case interjected.
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Hegseth spars with Democrats during hearing
Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., clashed with Hegseth over the cost of deploying the National Guard and military to Los Angeles.
McCollum asked Hegseth for information about the funding for troop deployments in Los Angeles, as well as whether any trainings were not taking place because troops were deployed.
Hegseth began by referring to the George Floyd murder protests, prompting McCollum to interject multiple times and urge him to address the budget question.
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Rep. Rosa DeLauro criticizes DOD firings and handling of war in Ukraine
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., criticized staffing shakeups at the Defense Department, including the firing of the department's inspector general and the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, CQ Brown.
"Mr. Secretary, of all the Cabinet departments, stability at the Department of Defense is the most critical for Americans' safety and security," she said.
She also highlighted the administration's handling of the war in Ukraine, accusing the U.S. of turning its back on allies.
"Why would anyone trust us or partner with us when we are busy undermining our allies' economies and encouraging China to fill the vacuum we are leaving by abandoning our humanitarian mission?" she asked
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Hegseth kicks off testimony before Congress
Megan Lebowitz
Hegseth has begun his testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing focused on the department's budget. The hearing is one of several congressional hearings that Hegseth is attending this week.
Rep. Betty McCollum criticizes administration on L.A. response and decision to fire military officials
Delivering opening remarks before Hegseth's testimony begins, Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., criticized the administration's handling of the Los Angeles protests, saying that deploying National Guard troops was "premature" and that the order to deploy Marines was "downright escalatory."
McCollum also criticized the administration's decision to fire Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman CQ Brown and other military leaders, saying it "appalled" her.
"Many Americans, myself included, have witnessed what is a deliberate effort to silence and diminish the achievements of minorities and women in the military," she said. "Their dedication, their heroism, their sacrifice on behalf of our nation deserve recognition, not erasure."
Sen. Bill Cassidy raises 'fear' RFK Jr. will stack vaccine committee with vaccine skeptics
Ben Kamisar
Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy, who heads the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, raised concerns in a brief post on social media about the Health and Human Services Department's gutting of an independent vaccine advisory committee.
Cassidy wouldn't elaborate on that warning when Capitol reporters asked about it last night. But the decision comes weeks after Cassidy praised the health secretary for having "lived up" to the commitments Kennedy made to secure Cassidy's confirmation vote, one of which was to "maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes."
Yesterday, the CDC announced all 17 members of that vaccine advisory panel were being removed, with Kennedy saying the 'committee has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine.'
Cassidy, who is a physician, said in his post that "the fear" is the committee "will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion."
Trump's red Tesla is no longer parked outside the West Wing
After reports last week that Trump was considering selling or giving away the red Tesla that he purchased this spring in a show of support for Elon Musk, NBC News' White House team has been tracking the location of the vehicle.
As of this morning, the car was no longer parked outside the West Wing.
Yesterday, the president told inquiring reporters that he may 'move the Tesla around a little bit' and that he has 'a lot of locations' at which he could keep it, as he seemed to dismiss the idea that he intended to offload it entirely.
Trump and Musk had a public falling out last week following the billionaire tech mogul's criticism of the massive Republican domestic policy bill, prompting the two to engage in an escalating feud on social media.
The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for information on the Tesla's status.
Sen. Ruben Gallego endorses Rep. Angie Craig in Minnesota Senate primary
Sahil Kapur
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is endorsing Rep. Angie Craig for the Democratic primary in Minnesota's Senate race, jumping into what is shaping up to be a contentious intraparty contest.
In a statement first reported by NBC News, the freshman senator explained why he's backing Craig over Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who was endorsed last month by Gallego's fellow Democratic senator, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
'Washington needs more people who are focused on getting things done. I'm supporting Angie because I've seen firsthand her ability to bring people together, listen to everyone and actually get results,' Gallego said. 'Angie is a fighter and is someone who leads with integrity, reason and a deep patriotic belief in our democracy.'
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Congresswoman from Los Angeles says community is 'very scared'
Democratic Rep. Norma Torres, who represents parts of Los Angeles County, said today that her 'constituents are very scared' of the sweeping Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions taking place in communities there.
'They don't want to get caught up in a situation where ICE is profiling and detaining them because of the color of their skin,' Torres said on MSNBC's "Way Too Early."
Torres added that she and other Democratic members were barred from entering an ICE facility in downtown LA.
'It's not supposed to work this way. In the last Trump administration we made sure we changed the law so members of Congress would not be blocked from entering and doing oversight. … Imagine if your loved one just didn't come home one day and you tried to locate them but ICE is playing a shell game, transferring them from one location to another because they aren't interest in due process.'
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U.S.-China trade talks kick off second day in London
The U.S. and China are resuming trade talks in London today after yesterday's session.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are leading the U.S. side.
"I expect to go all day today," Lutnick told reporters. "So they're going well, we're spending lots of time together."
Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week and said in a post on Truth Social that it "resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries."
"There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products," Trump had said after the call, going on to point to the talks between the two countries' representatives.
In recent weeks, both countries have accused each other of violating a preliminary trade agreement, which had walked back the steepest tariffs.
Hegseth to testify before House Appropriations subcommittee this morning
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will appear before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense for an oversight hearing, marking the first time the Pentagon chief will deliver testimony to a House panel since his Senate confirmation.
Hegseth will be joined by Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The House subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif.
NBC News reported yesterday that the White House has struggled to hire senior advisers to Hegseth, with three people rejecting potential roles and Vice President JD Vance and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles poring over potential candidates on his behalf.
Hegseth came under intense criticism after media reports that he shared sensitive information about a U.S. military operation in Yemen on Signal group chats, including one that inadvertently had a journalist added to it.
'We're happy to have this fight': Trump administration leans into California protests
Trump's immigration agenda has met a groundswell of opposition in Los Angeles, the country's second-largest city.
At least 56 people have been arrested so far in massive protests against the administration's immigration raids in the city Friday. The demonstrations have spilled over onto one of the region's largest freeways, and federal authorities are facing criticism after they arrested, and apparently injured, a prominent labor leader.
In response, the White House has threatened to arrest California's governor and mobilized Marines to support National Guard troops in defending federal property — even though state officials say they don't want the assistance and are now suing the administration.
For the White House, this scene — Trump battling a blue state over his signature issue — is a political win, officials said. It's a nationally watched saga of the sort that has long defined his career: a made-for-TV moment.