Pentagon says estimated cost of national guard deployment to LA is $134 million: Report
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back against Democrats' criticism of the decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles, telling Congress that the Trump administration wants to protect immigration agents and keep demonstrations there from getting out of control.
Asked by Representative Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, how much the deployment would cost, Hegseth criticized Governor Tim Walz's handling of protests that erupted after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis 2020.
President Donald Trump recognizes 'a situation like that, improperly handled by a governor like it was by Governor Walz, if it gets out of control — it's a bad situation for the citizens of any location,' Hegseth said.
He said Immigration and Customs Enforcement 'has the right to safely conduct operations in any state and any jurisdiction in the country, especially after 21 million illegals have crossed our border under the previous administration.'
Hegseth's comments during the hearing, which at times turned combative, echoed Trump's remarks Monday in which he said he 'watched Minneapolis burn.' Officials also gave more detail on the scope of the deployment and the role the Marines will play.
Hegesth said the deployment would last 60 days, as detailed in a presidential memorandum over the weekend.
Speaking alongside the defense secretary, Acting Pentagon Comptroller Bryn MacDonnell said the deployment is estimated to cost $134 million, which covers travel, housing and food. The funds would come from the department's operations and maintenance accounts.
And in a separate Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said the Marines deployed are trained in crowd control and 'being deployed to support law enforcement.' They are equipped with 'shields and batons' and 'they do not have arrest authority,' he said.
The decision to send in the National Guard and the Marines has provoked an outcry from Democrats.
Representative Pete Aguilar, a Democrat who's district includes a portion of Los Angeles, asked Hegseth 'Why are you sending war fighters to cities to interact with civilians?'
'Every American citizen deserves to live in a community that's safe, and ICE agents need to be able to do their job,' Hegseth responded. 'And if they're attacked, that's lawless, and President Trump believes in law and order. So he has every authority' to deploy troops under US law.
The protests entered their fifth day on Tuesday after more clashes between police and demonstrators rallying against a rising number of raids by ICE agents, who local officials say have stoked fear in the immigrant-rich community.
US law generally bars the use of the active-duty US military from carrying out domestic law enforcement. Trump over the weekend authorized Hegseth to deploy armed forces 'as necessary to augment and support the protection of Federal functions and property.'
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