1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Today I’m writing to urge you to take immediate action to defund President Trump's unlawful and wasteful deployment of military troops to American cities. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, these deployments cost taxpayers nearly $500 million in 2025 alone, with projected costs of $93 million per month continuing into 2026. These deployments represent a dangerous and unlawful misuse of military resources and taxpayer dollars. More than 10,000 National Guard soldiers and active-duty marines were activated and sent to six major cities beginning in June 2025, ostensibly to deter crime and protect immigration enforcement activities. Washington DC alone cost $232 million in 2025, with ongoing costs of $55 million per month. Los Angeles operations cost $193 million before being wound down after just three months. The legal challenges from city and state officials demonstrate that these deployments lack proper authorization and violate principles of federalism. Using active-duty military forces for domestic law enforcement purposes also raises serious constitutional concerns under the Posse Comitatus Act. These are not emergency disaster relief operations but rather politically motivated shows of force in cities that did not request federal military intervention. It’s about intimidation, obviously a playbook from consulting with various dictatorships friendly to Trump, Stephen Miller and others. At a time when Congress debates every dollar of domestic spending, half a billion dollars for unauthorized military deployments in American cities is indefensible. The CBO estimates that deploying 1,000 National Guard troops to an average city costs between $18 million and $21 million per month. These funds could instead support actual public safety initiatives, community policing programs, or address the root causes of crime through education and economic opportunity. I urge you to use your appropriations authority to immediately prohibit funding for these domestic military deployments and claw back the nearly $500 million already spent without proper congressional authorization. Our military exists to defend the nation, not to occupy American cities. Thank you.