The Problem with National Guard Tasked with Picking Up Trash in DC

The images and video of troops picking up garbage are bad optics for Trump. They do not scream “strongman"; they scream “wasteful and pathetic attempt to look strong.”

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After all of the false bluster about violent crime rates necessitating the deployment of the National Guard against citizens in DC, it became clear on Tuesday that they’ve actually been tasked with “beautifying” the city. In other words, they are picking up trash.

National Guard members pick up trash in DC after being deployed against U.S. citizens by Donald Trump, screen grab via video by Fox 4 Washington DC

A busload of National Guard members were seen picking up trash around Lafayette Park, just outside of the White House on Tuesday:

This isn’t really a surprise given that violent crime rates were at a 30 year low when Trump decided that violent crime was so high it required deploying the military against the citizens of a city that did not vote for him. That last part is, of course, the consistent and therefore operative part of Trump’s “reasoning” about deployment against U.S. citizens.

But the visuals raise a lot of questions, not the least of which is how much are we paying these troops to serve as janitors?

Some of the National Guard deployed in DC are now carrying weapons, raising even more questions about the pay and purpose of this “deployment.”

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) - a delegate because DC does not have true representation (something that this debacle should change) - asked in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chief of the National Guard Bureau General Steven Nordhaus about the legal basis for the deployment and demanding details about the scope, mission, legal parameters and cost of the deployment.

“D.C. did not request or consent to the mass deployment of National Guard troops, who were recently authorized to carry weapons in the District despite D.C.’s crime rate being at a 30-year low,” Norton wrote. “A tenet of our democracy is that the military does not engage in civilian law enforcement, and it is not trained to do so in any case, which puts servicemembers and the public at risk. I urge you to end this gross abuse of power and withdraw the troops immediately.”

Norton pressed for the following questions to be answered:

(1) Do the troops have authority to enforce the laws of the United States or the District of Columbia? If so, which statute authorizes them to do so?

(2) Have the troops been deputized by a law enforcement agency? If so, which agency has deputized them?

(3) Do the troops have authority to stop, detain or arrest people? If so, which statute authorizes them to do so?

(4) What is the use of force policy for the troops?

(5) What training have the troops received?

(6) What is the mission of the troops?

(7) Are the troops subject to the laws of the District of Columbia?

(8) As of the date of your response, how much has this deployment cost?

They are supposed to respond by Friday, August 29^th. Everyone should take shot of their favorite beverage if they do answer with anything resembling actual information and transparency.

Their pay is based on their military rank, time in service, and the type of duty they are performing. During inactive duty for training, which typically involves one weekend per month, they are paid for each day served, with additional pay during active-duty periods for annual training and other deployments.

Whatever they are being paid is too much to pick up garbage, especially while ostensibly violating the Constitution, especially given that the National Guard is reportedly close to running out of money because of Trump’s repeated deployments.