President Trump's military occupations of US cities have cost nearly half a billion dollars, according to an expert estimate. This staggering figure includes $172 million spent in Los Angeles, where troops arrived in June; almost $270 million for the occupation of Washington, D.C., which began in August; and over $15 million for Portland, Oregon, announced in September.
The National Priorities Project tallied these totals from open-source information and costs-per-day estimates provided to The Intercept by the office of Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. The US government has kept basic details about domestic troop deployments, including costs, secret.
The Trump administration's military occupations come as President Trump threatens to deploy additional troops to more American cities to quell dissent and turn America into a full-blown police state. He recently said he could "send the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines — I could send anybody I wanted" into urban America.
Despite falling crime numbers and pushback from local officials, Trump has repeatedly threatened to surge troops into Baltimore, New York City, Oakland, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Seattle to put down supposed rebellions and aid law enforcement agencies.
The cost of these occupations is skyrocketing, with the current $473 million price tag now including nearly $15 million for Portland, over $3 million for Memphis, Tennessee, and almost $13 million for Chicago, which all began last month.
Senator Tammy Duckworth said Trump's continued abuse of the military to intimidate Americans in their own neighborhoods must end immediately.
The US has a long history of using the Insurrection Act to circumvent Posse Comitatus laws prohibiting federal troops from executing domestic law enforcement. However, Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke this act and claims he could bring in active-duty troops if needed. This is despite research showing that only six out of 45 presidents have invoked this act on more occasions than Ulysses S. Grant.
Critics argue that the Insurrection Act can only be used in extreme circumstances not present in cities like Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago, and others where protests remain overwhelmingly peaceful.
Trump's authoritarian measures have been bolstered by his half-billion-dollar effort to employ troops to chill dissent in America's cities. "Protest plays an essential role in our democracy and President Trump is hellbent on suppressing it," said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project.
The National Priorities Project tallied these totals from open-source information and costs-per-day estimates provided to The Intercept by the office of Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. The US government has kept basic details about domestic troop deployments, including costs, secret.
The Trump administration's military occupations come as President Trump threatens to deploy additional troops to more American cities to quell dissent and turn America into a full-blown police state. He recently said he could "send the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines — I could send anybody I wanted" into urban America.
Despite falling crime numbers and pushback from local officials, Trump has repeatedly threatened to surge troops into Baltimore, New York City, Oakland, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Seattle to put down supposed rebellions and aid law enforcement agencies.
The cost of these occupations is skyrocketing, with the current $473 million price tag now including nearly $15 million for Portland, over $3 million for Memphis, Tennessee, and almost $13 million for Chicago, which all began last month.
Senator Tammy Duckworth said Trump's continued abuse of the military to intimidate Americans in their own neighborhoods must end immediately.
The US has a long history of using the Insurrection Act to circumvent Posse Comitatus laws prohibiting federal troops from executing domestic law enforcement. However, Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke this act and claims he could bring in active-duty troops if needed. This is despite research showing that only six out of 45 presidents have invoked this act on more occasions than Ulysses S. Grant.
Critics argue that the Insurrection Act can only be used in extreme circumstances not present in cities like Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago, and others where protests remain overwhelmingly peaceful.
Trump's authoritarian measures have been bolstered by his half-billion-dollar effort to employ troops to chill dissent in America's cities. "Protest plays an essential role in our democracy and President Trump is hellbent on suppressing it," said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project.
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And who decides what constitutes an "insurrection" anyway? It sounds like just another way for Trump to silence his critics and consolidate power.
and i'm literally shook rn. $473 million is like, a huge chunk of change 
for someone who's all about making america great again... meanwhile, it's just being used to suppress ppl who wanna speak out against injustices 
like, isn't that kinda counterproductive? and don't even get me started on trumps claims that he can just send in troops whenever he wants... umm no, dude, that's not how democracy works 
so when ppl are trying to voice their concerns, we should be supporting them, not trying to silence them with tanks and whatnot 
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It's just not right that Trump is using it to silence protesters and impose his own brand of order 
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. The ACLU's Hina Shamsi is totally on point when she says protest plays a crucial role in our democracy 
. We can't let Trump's fear-mongering tactics dictate how we live our lives 
we need better leaders who understand the importance of peaceful protest and the rule of law 
. I think Tammy Duckworth has a point - our president should be using his power to unite us, not divide us with military force 
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what's next? deploying troops to schools or public events? it's like he wants to create this fear of lawlessness where we need more military presence to keep people calm 
but really its just gonna be a slippery slope...
And what about Posse Comitatus laws? It feels like they're trying to circumvent those just for fun. Anyway, I'm keeping a close eye on this situation... it doesn't feel right 
Can't believe what I'm seeing with my own eyes! Half a billion dollars down the drain for sending troops into cities? Are you kidding me?! 
And this is all just because of protests? Newsflash, Mr. Trump: we're not going to be intimidated by your threats! We'll continue to speak out against injustice, even if it means some costs (literally!) 
I remember when our country was all about freedom and protesting for a cause. Now it feels like we're living in some dystopian novel where the president has all the power and we're just cowering in fear. 
The ACLU is right, protest is what makes America great, not Trump's iron fist. 
and now the aclu is saying protest is "essential" in our democracy? like, duh! we need to be able to express ourselves without being intimidated by the military 
Anyway, I'm totally with Senator Duckworth on this one 
We need to stand up against him and protect our rights 
It sounds like a slippery slope to me.
"The government is like a school boy: if you tickle him long enough he will come around and get clever." - Benjamin Franklin
$473 million for troops just to keep people calm? that's like, a whole lot of money fam 
like something out of a dystopian movie. Can we please just get back to normal life already?