One could describe President Donald Trump’s existing and planned National Guard deployments in a few different ways. The administration sees them as a necessary protection for federal law enforcement in dangerous times. Many Americans see them as authoritarian overreach.

Taxpayers should see them as incredibly expensive.

The National Guard’s mostly quiet walks through Washington, D.C., are expected to cost a little more than $200 million, USA Today reported, and that’s the figure just for the D.C. National Guard, not for the eight states that have sent troops. Those likely more than double that cost, because out-of-state troops make up a majority of the D.C. deployment. According to the California National Guard, the deployment to Los Angeles cost another $118 million as of early Septemb

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