§66 —
On training grounds
Democrat
UNTIL 2029
The courts. In September 2025 a federal judge in California ruled that the Los Angeles deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act; the ruling was stayed on appeal 1. In October the Seventh Circuit wrote that "political opposition is not rebellion" 2. On December 23 the Supreme Court, 6 to 3, refused the Illinois deployment: "At this preliminary stage, the Government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois" 3. The FBI's 2025 figures showed murder down 18.1 percent nationally; one analyst noted rates "are falling in cities with very different public safety strategies" 4.
The bill and the calendar. The Congressional Budget Office put the deployments at about $496 million through December 2025, and about $93 million a month going forward 5. The Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland deployments ended. The one in Washington was extended in August until Inauguration Day, 2029 6.
Sources
- A federal judge ruled the Los Angeles deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act; the Ninth Circuit stayed the ruling — Cato Institute, September 2025 ↑
- "Political opposition is not rebellion" — Seventh Circuit — Chicago Sun-Times, 16 October 2025 ↑
- Trump v. Illinois, 23 December 2025, 6–3: "the Government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois" — NBC News ↑
- FBI 2025 data: murder down 18.1 percent; "Rates are falling in cities with very different public safety strategies" — CBS News, 14 August 2026 ↑
- About $496 million through December 2025; about $93 million per month going forward, per CBO — CBS News, 29 January 2026 ↑
- The Washington deployment "quietly extended until Inauguration Day of 2029" — NPR, 11 August 2026 ↑
Republican
TRAINING GROUNDS
The line, to the generals and admirals at Quantico on September 30, 2025: "I told Pete, 'we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military national guard, but military. Because we're going into Chicago very soon.'" And: "it's the enemy from within and we have to handle it before it gets out of control" 1.
The case for the deployments is the crime numbers, and in Washington they moved. Metropolitan Police data reported in February showed four homicides in the previous 41 days, a 78 percent drop from the same period a year earlier, with violent crime down 36 percent 2. When he ended three of the deployments at the end of 2025, he credited the troops: "CRIME has greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities, and ONLY by that fact" 3. A falling homicide count is the kind of result a city can feel. Whether the troops were the reason is on the other side.
Sources
- "We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military"; "it's the enemy from within" — remarks to military leaders at Quantico, 30 September 2025 — Miller Center ↑
- Four homicides in 41 days, a 78 percent drop from a year earlier; violent crime down 36 percent — NBC Washington, 10 February 2026 ↑
- "CRIME has greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities, and ONLY by that fact" — Stars and Stripes, 31 December 2025 ↑
“I'll read it the way he said it, because the wording matters. Quantico, September 30th of last year, to the generals: "we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military national guard, but military." Then the courts, one at a time. A district judge in California. The Seventh Circuit: "political opposition is not rebellion." The Supreme Court, December 23rd: the government "failed to identify a source of authority." Then the bill: about four hundred ninety-six million through December. Excuse me, I'm going — the troops came home from three cities. The fourth deployment runs until 2029. What's it training for?”— Lou
“"We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military." He said that to a room full of generals. Then a judge in California said the Posse Comitatus Act still exists, an appeals court in Chicago said "political opposition is not rebellion," and the Supreme Court said it couldn't find the authority. Half a billion dollars later, three cities got their troops sent home. Washington got its extended to Inauguration Day 2029. A training ground with a lease through the end of the term.”
“The troops left Chicago because crime fell, crime fell because the troops were there, and they're staying in Washington because crime is still falling there — which proves they're needed right up until it stops.”