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Some of the 2,000 National Guard troops deployed to Washington after Donald Trump declared a crime emergency have been spending their time picking up trash.
Troops dressed in their camouflage uniform were seen patrolling parks with trash bags and blue gloves as part of Trump’s “beautification” plan for D.C.
It is a stark contrast to the scenes imagined when the U.S. President placed the city’s police department under federal control and declared crime was rampant two weeks ago.
- National Guard troops in D.C. have been assigned to pick up trash and patrol parks as part of a city 'beautification' effort.
- Local leaders reject Trump's claim crime is rampant, noting D.C. is at a 30-year low in violent crime despite troop deployment.
- Cuts to the National Park Service workforce have left only 20 workers for thousands of acres, prompting Guard involvement in cleanup.
- Attorney General Bondi reports over 1,283 arrests and 135 illegal guns seized since the Guard troops' deployment on August 11.
National Guard troops have been picking up trash
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
His claim of crime being out of control in the city has been rejected by the city’s local leadership, who say statistics show D.C. is experiencing a 30-year low in violent crime.
National Guard troops typically respond to natural disasters such as hurricanes and flooding and civil unrest.
Clearing trash would usually fall to the National Park Service, but since Trump was re-elected, cuts have significantly impacted its workforce.
One Park Service official told The Washington Post that there are just 20 workers left to oversee the maintenance of thousands of acres of trees and gardens in D.C.
Image credits: Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images
This is compared to 200 people assigned to that job before the cuts.
“It’s everybody — the masons, the maintenance workers, the groundskeepers, the plumbers. Every shop is short,” the official said.
The Department of Defense previously said that some of the troops deployed would support local law enforcement in duties such as administrative and logistical roles, as well as providing a physical presence.
“I think it’s nice, as a D.C. resident,” one Guard member told The Post. “But there are different things we could be doing.”
D.C. National Guard posted footage showing troops cleaning up the streets on its Instagram page.
View this post on Instagram
“This week, Soldiers and Airmen conducted site surveys in coordination with federal and local partners to begin community restoration projects. #SafeAndBeautiful,” the post read.
“Bro they literally just put 1,000 soldiers on ADOS to pick up trash. Go hard, go guard,” one person commented.
Those troops taking part in “beautification” projects will not be armed.
In recent months, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly pushed for a more lethal military that wins wars.
The current tasks at hand for National Guard troops in the city appear to be at odds with his plans.
Trump deployed troops to the city two weeks ago
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Sean Parnell, spokesman for the Pentagon, told The Post that the Defense Department “is incredibly proud of our D.C. National Guardsmen and their work to make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Again.”
A representative for Hegseth did not answer questions about the new assignment when contacted by the outlet.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has been tracking arrests made since Trump’s D.C. takeover on August 11.
In her most recent count on Thursday, Bondi said 1283 people had been arrested and 135 illegal guns had been seized.
Many of those arrest numbers were not broken down but Bondi claimed in several posts that suspected members of the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gangs were among those detained.
I’m pleased to report another 105 arrests have been made and 12 illegal guns taken off the streets of Washington, DC.
Our law enforcement partners continue to make DC safe again. pic.twitter.com/8D8sqsKCKO
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) August 28, 2025
She also said that charges had been made for homicide, narcotics, and firearm offenses, as well as some ICE detainments.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that over 400 of those arrests were “illegal criminals who never should have been in this country to begin with.”
The Department of Defense has not confirmed an estimated cost for the current deployment of National Guard troops.
However, experts told CNN that the estimated cost was around $1 million per day.
Kate Kuzminski, director of studies at the Center for New American Security, told the outlet that the figure included housing, travel, food, fuel, and other logistical needs.
The figure was estimated by assessing the cost of the 2020 deployment of 5,000 National Guard troops to D.C., which was estimated to be roughly $2 million per day.
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