The US government has spent nearly half a billion dollars on military occupations of American cities, with costs continuing to rise. President Trump's deployment of troops in cities such as Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Portland, and Chicago has cost $473 million so far, with some deployments lasting only 60 days at an estimated daily cost of over $647 per soldier.
The National Priorities Project estimates that the total cost could reach over half a billion dollars by next year. The project tallied these totals from open-source information and costs-per-day estimates supplied to The Intercept by the office of Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois.
Trump's deployment of troops has been widely criticized as an attempt to intimidate protesters and quell dissent. Critics argue that the deployments are a form of authoritarianism and an abuse of power, with Trump using the Insurrection Act, a law that allows for the deployment of federal troops in times of insurrection or rebellion, to justify his actions.
Despite claims from the White House that these deployments are necessary to maintain order and protect public safety, critics argue that they are unnecessary and have no basis in reality. The American Civil Liberties Union has stated that "protest plays an essential role in our democracy" and that Trump's attempts to suppress it are a threat to democratic values.
The deployment of troops is also seen as part of a broader trend of authoritarianism under the Trump administration, which includes crackdowns on domestic enemies, undeclared wars in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, and targeting progressive groups and their donors.
The National Priorities Project estimates that the total cost could reach over half a billion dollars by next year. The project tallied these totals from open-source information and costs-per-day estimates supplied to The Intercept by the office of Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois.
Trump's deployment of troops has been widely criticized as an attempt to intimidate protesters and quell dissent. Critics argue that the deployments are a form of authoritarianism and an abuse of power, with Trump using the Insurrection Act, a law that allows for the deployment of federal troops in times of insurrection or rebellion, to justify his actions.
Despite claims from the White House that these deployments are necessary to maintain order and protect public safety, critics argue that they are unnecessary and have no basis in reality. The American Civil Liberties Union has stated that "protest plays an essential role in our democracy" and that Trump's attempts to suppress it are a threat to democratic values.
The deployment of troops is also seen as part of a broader trend of authoritarianism under the Trump administration, which includes crackdowns on domestic enemies, undeclared wars in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, and targeting progressive groups and their donors.
news! Like, where is our tax money going? $473 million for "occupying" cities sounds like a fancy way of saying "spending a bunch of cash on something that's not really working". And what's with the daily cost per soldier over $647? That's some serious sticker shock 
. I get it, protests can get ugly, but this feels like an overreaction to me 
. We should be using our tax dollars for actual community programs and stuff, not just throwing cash at a problem that might disappear tomorrow 
. And what's up with the Insurrection Act being used as a pretext? It sounds like some shady politics to me 
.
I just had the craziest dream last night, I was at this amusement park with roller coasters that went up to space 
! And then I started thinking about how some of these new roller coaster designs are inspired by nature, like the spiral shape of a sea shell 
. It's wild how science and art can merge like that. Speaking of which, have you tried those new VR games that simulate space travel? 
My friend just got them for his birthday and he's been playing nonstop... anyway, back to politics... or is it social justice? 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around all these protests and demonstrations.
. I mean, we're talking about deploying troops to places like LA and Chicago for 60 days at a whopping $647 per soldier daily 
. Like, aren't we supposed to be a free country where people can express themselves without fear of oppression? 
. We need to talk about this more and make sure our democracy isn't being quietly eroded 
and a waste of resources 
they think trump is trying to intimidate protesters & stifle dissent 
so lets hope we dont lose that in the chaos 
. Can't we just have a peaceful protest without the military coming in? 
