Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island criticized the continued deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., saying the mission has damaged military readiness and public trust without making the city safer.
“Safety in our communities is paramount,” Reed wrote on X. “But policing American citizens has always been the job of law enforcement, not DOD. The Nat’l Guard deployment in DC is burning readiness, morale, and taxpayer dollars on missions that don’t belong to the military. Worse, it’s eroding public trust our Armed Forces need.”
Reed, the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, linked a News4 I-Team report on a new analysis finding that National Guard deployments have had no measurable effect on violent crime in the cities where they have been sent.
The underlying Center for American Progress analysis examined National Guard deployments in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Memphis using three separate statistical models and found no statistically significant crime-reducing effect on the level or trend of violent crime, homicides or gun victimizations in any of the three cities. “There has been no effect on violent crime, homicides, or gun victimizations, and yet it’s costing taxpayers billions of dollars,” said Chandler Hall, the report’s author.
The report found that violent crime in those cities was already declining before the Guard’s arrival, and that the deployments did not accelerate those existing trends. Hall said the highly visible Guard presence may have modestly reduced opportunistic property crimes, such as cellphone or purse thefts, but had no measurable impact on violent crime specifically.
D.C. police data cited in the News4 report show violent crime has continued since Trump said in September 2025 that the city had “virtually no crime” and called it “crime-free.” Police have recorded 2,158 violent crimes in the District since that statement, including 77 homicides and 787 gun crimes, with violent crime reported so far this year up slightly compared with the prior year.
The Center for American Progress estimated the deployments have cost taxpayers more than $1.7 billion through the end of this year based on congressional estimates, and that keeping the D.C. deployment in place through early 2029 could push the total cost toward $4 billion, assuming Guard levels remain near 5,000 troops in the city.
News4 reported that the Guard is expected to remain in Washington through the end of Trump’s second term, over the objections of some local D.C. officials, including D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who has repeatedly called for out-of-state Guard troops to be removed from the District. A lawsuit filed by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb challenging the deployment remains pending on appeal.
The White House did not respond to questions from the News4 I-Team about the deployment’s extension, its added cost, or the study’s findings, despite being given more than a day to respond, according to the report.
The deployment’s unpopularity in the city was on display earlier this month when protesters interrupted a ceremony led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at Malcolm X Park in Washington, chanting “Guard, go home!” during an event meant to recognize National Guard members and the restoration of the park’s fountain.
Reed’s committee has broad oversight authority over the Defense Department’s personnel policies and operations, including National Guard deployments carried out under federal authority, according to the committee’s official jurisdiction and membership page.
Neither the White House nor the Pentagon has issued a direct public response to Reed’s statement.