A year into Trump's unprecedented deployment, National Guard is entrenched in DC

Some 4,000 troops from states and territories across the country are now deployed to the capital, down from a summer surge for America's 250th anniversary that pushed the force to roughly 5,000. That number is expected to decline further in the coming weeks, with the mission typically hovering between 2,500 and 3,000 troops. The deployment is projected to cost an additional $1.4 billion, a staggering price tag even as its effectiveness remains murky. The figure serves as the first public accounting from the administration on the mission's cost, but it's unclear what the mission has cost up to this point. Previously, the Congressional Budget Office estimated its deployment in D.C. costs about $55 million per month, accounting for just under 3,000 troops.