(LANSING, Mich.) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday ordered the state’s National Guard to limit its mission in Washington exclusively to events tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration, drawing a line against the military’s prolonged presence in the capital and threatening to pull Michigan troops if they’re assigned to any other mission.
In a letter to Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, the commander of the Michigan National Guard, Whitmer wrote she “has not deployed—and will not deploy—the Michigan National Guard to support the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Mission,” referring to the Guard’s ongoing presence and patrols across the city.
“If the National Guard is unable or unwilling to ensure the Michigan National Guard is only supporting the America 250 mission,” she added, “then I will end Michigan’s support for the America 250 mission.”
The Michigan National Guard has deployed 161 troops to Washington in recent weeks, while Minnesota has sent another 107, according to service figures, making them the first Democrat-led states to contribute sizable contingents to the capital since President Donald Trump surged National Guard forces there in August.
Puerto Rico has also deployed 155 National Guard troops to the capital ahead of the July Fourth weekend, while the U.S. Virgin Islands has sent 83.
There is precedent for National Guard units from across the country being activated for major events in Washington, including presidential inaugurations and the response to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. It is likely National Guard units would again be drawn from multiple states to support security operations tied to America’s 250th birthday celebrations.
It remains unclear how the two missions — ongoing security operations focused largely on high-traffic areas around the Capitol and downtown, and event-driven support for anniversary celebrations — would be separated in practice.
For most of the so-called “Safe and Beautiful” mission, the force has been drawn almost entirely from Republican-led states, aside from the District of Columbia National Guard. Troops have largely been assigned to high-visibility patrols around Washington’s tourist corridors and several downtown Metro stations, while also assisting with litter collection and graffiti removal.
The deployment has focused on some of the city’s safest and most heavily trafficked areas and is expected to continue through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term.
An analysis from the think tank Niskanen Center found that the Guard’s presence hasn’t reduced violent crime but has reduced property crime. It also noted troops are far more expensive than police officers, estimating it costs $607 per Guardsman per day, compared with roughly $384 per day for a D.C. police officer, underscoring the higher cost of relying on military personnel with limited legal authority and civil training.
A Congressional Budget Office analysis estimated the Guard’s deployment to the capital would cost roughly $660 million this year, though that projection assumed an average force of about 3,000 troops, including pay, food and lodging for troops in hotels.
The estimate does not fully capture the federal government’s longer-term personnel costs, including the accrual of veterans’ benefits tied to active-duty service, such as retirement and education benefits.
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