Senators Coons, Schumer, Durbin, colleagues urge DOD Inspector General inquiry into domestic deployment of military in American cities

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, U.S. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led 24 senators in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins to call for an inquiry into the Trump administration’s efforts to deploy active-duty and National Guard troops to Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Portland, and Memphis.

In the letter, the senators underscore the illegality of the domestic troop deployments, which undermine military readiness and politicize the nation’s military.

“We write to express our concern about the deployment of U.S. troops to American cities, including in Los Angeles; Washington, DC; Portland; Chicago; and Memphis. The military’s expanded use to support immigration operations and domestic law enforcement activities at home is fundamentally un-Constitutional, dangerous for American civil rights, and risks straining military readiness and resources, weakening troop morale, undermining recruitment and retention, and eroding public trust in the military,” the senators wrote. “Neither the active-duty military nor the National Guard are intended or trained at scale for the purposes that the Administration has claimed they are used for, including ‘crime-fighting.’ We are concerned that these domestic deployments erode the military’s and National Guard’s ability to prepare for their critical missions.”

“We urgently request that you initiate an inquiry into the cumulative effects of these domestic deployments of U.S. active-duty troops and the National Guard—over the objections of state and local officials—on military readiness, resources, personnel, and our military as an institution,” the senators continued.

The senators made clear that pulling National Guard troops away from their assigned duties to assist in law enforcement operations erodes public trust, diverts critical resources from communities in need, including those impacted by natural disasters, and costs American taxpayers millions of dollars. As the senators note, the Pentagon has estimated the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles cost approximately $170 million for a 60-day deployment.

“When military and Guard units are pulled away from scheduled training or mission preparation, the consequences extend beyond individual units and erode operational strength across the force, leaving the military less prepared for overseas operations and crisis response. The Guard’s unique role as both a state and federal force makes it particularly vulnerable to strain, which could impact the ability of the Guard to protect and save local communities during natural disasters at home,” the senators wrote. “Service members commit to service with the understanding that their sacrifices will aid communities in times of disaster and defend our nation overseas. They are not trained nor prepared to act as a domestic police force.”

“The domestic deployment of military personnel also is a significant waste of resources… The Washington, DC, National Guard deployment is estimated to cost $2.5 million per day. Many of the Guard units deployed to Washington, DC, to ‘help restore law and order’ are now tasked with ‘beautification projects’ such as picking up trash and spreading mulch…Diverting military personnel and defense funds to such missions is inconsistent with the Constitution, congressional intent and responsible stewardship of resources entrusted to the Department of Defense,” the senators continued.

The senators then laid out the illegality of using the nation’s military as civilian law enforcement under the Posse Comitatus Act.

“These domestic deployments also risk normalizing military involvement in contentious civilian law enforcement, which apart from being deeply contrary to the Constitution, raises serious concerns about the apolitical character of our armed forces and compliance with the Posse Comitatus Act. The Posse Comitatus Act reflects the founding principle—reflected in the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments—that separating civilian law enforcement from the military protects both individual liberties and states’ rights,” the senators wrote.

“Several federal courts have found no credible evidence that the Administration’s use of the military in this way is justified, finding that conditions on the ground have not reached the high threshold of crisis that merits such a militarized response, especially over the objection of local officials. Further, the Trump Administration’s unprecedented deployment of out-of-state Guard personnel into a non-consenting jurisdiction is a significant overreach of executive power,” the senators wrote.

The senators concluded their letter by reiterating their call for an inquiry into the domestic deployments of troops to American cities.

“These deployments place a burden on the military and create national security risks when defense funding and personnel are diverted from their core purpose. We urge your office to examine the matter of these military deployments to Los Angeles; Washington, DC; Portland; Chicago; and Memphis as well as the potential for further deployments to additional American cities, and report your findings to Congress no later than November 21, 2025,” the senators concluded.

In addition to Senators Coons, Schumer, and Durbin, the letter is also signed by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

To read the full text of the letter, click here.