An American City, With Troops on Its Streets
Washington, D.C. has entered its second year of a significant federal military presence, with National Guard troops patrolling the city under orders from President Trump. The deployment, which began following an attempted carjacking of a DOGE team member, is expected to continue through 2029 at a cost of over $1 billion.
Why it matters
The prolonged presence of federal troops in a domestic capital city raises significant questions about civil liberties, the role of the military in domestic policing, and the normalization of emergency measures.
National Guard members walk by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Monday August 03, 2026 in Washington, DC ( Matt McClain for The Atlantic ) Ideas An American City, With Troops on Its Streets Since the country’s founding, deployments of soldiers to U.S. soil have been exceedingly rare. But residents of Washington, D.C., are living in a new normal.
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