National Guard orders in DC expected to be extended through December to ensure troop benefits, source says

By Haley Britzky, CNN

(CNN) — National Guard troops deployed in Washington, DC, as part of President Donald Trump’s anti-crime initiative are expected to have their military orders extended through December, a senior official familiar with the planning told CNN.

The extension, which has not been finalized, is intended to ensure continuity of benefits for service members and their families, not necessarily to signal that the mission will last until year’s end.

Typically, guard members do not qualify for military benefits like a housing allowance or health care unless they are on active orders for more than 30 days.

It is still unclear how long the mission itself will continue in DC. Last month, Vice President JD Vance said if President Donald Trump “thinks that he has to extend this order to ensure that people have access to public safety, then that’s exactly what he’ll do.”

“If he thinks he doesn’t have to do that, obviously he’ll make that determination,” Vance said.

The White House would not confirm the expected extension when asked for comment.

A White House official told CNN, “President Trump is committed to the long-term safety and security of Washington DC for its residents and visitors.”

Joint Task Force – DC and the National Guard Bureau have not yet responded to a request for comment.

The expected extension comes as Joint Task Force – DC acknowledged existing “concerns regarding pay and benefits” for troops on the mission in a release on Monday.

“While exceptions exist, the majority of service members are mobilized on orders extending beyond 30 days, ensuring they qualify for full benefits,” the release from JTF-DC said.

As of Tuesday morning, there were 2,290 National Guardsmen assigned to the mission – 1,340 of them from supporting states. The senior official said that the orders are expected to be extended for service members from those states as well.

A release from JTF-DC on Tuesday said the mission, in partnership with local law enforcement, has resulted in a 37% decrease in carjackings, a 50% drop in robberies, and a 23% decrease in violent crime.

Still, the mission for the National Guard has been criticized as unnecessary. Guard members have been seen cleaning up parks, laying mulch and picking up trash around the city. Tuesday’s release said the National Guard has “cleaned more than 3.2 miles of roadways, collected more than 677 bags of trash, and disposed of five truckloads of plant waste in coordination with the U.S. National Park Service” as of Tuesday.

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