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The Trump administration’s planned deployment of U.S. troops to Portland could cost taxpayers $10 million, according to a new estimate from the Oregon Military Department, which comes as 200 federalized Oregon National Guard members mobilize for a 60 day mission in the city.
“Our country and our state should be focused on solving real problems,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement Wednesday announcing the figure. “Wasting an estimated $10 million dollars on made up problems is an insult to Americans who are struggling with the cost of living, access to affordable health care, safety in their neighborhoods, and more. Not only is this an abuse of power, it is a dereliction of the president’s duty to solve real problems.”
The Pentagon, for its part, tells WW that “costs won’t be known until the mission concludes.”
Oregon’s estimate comes days after President Trump declared his plan to send troops to straighten up a city he has persistently described as a nightmarish hellscape, besieged by war and mobs and domestic terrorists and in desperate need of his protection.
The status of that troop deployment is not entirely clear. In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said members of the Oregon National Guard are “reporting for duty, conducting training, and preparing to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other U.S. Government personnel, who are performing federal functions, including the enforcement of federal law, and to protect federal property in Oregon.”
Parnell’s description contradicts a Truth Social post from Trump earlier Wednesday asserting that “the National Guard is now in place, and has been dedicated to restoring LAW AND ORDER, and ending the Chaos, Death, and Destruction!”
Asked about the discrepancy, a Department of War official said via email that the National Guard was “reporting in today.”
The official added, “It’ll take some time for them to complete their reporting requirements before they are actually out performing their duties.”
(The White House press office did not respond to clarification about Trump’s statement, but an automatic reply said the monitoring of its email account might be disrupted by the ongoing shutdown of the federal government.)
Oregon National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Stephen Bomar earlier this week told The Oregonian that the mobilization was being delayed by administrative tasks, suggesting troops might not arrive in Portland until this weekend.
On Wednesday, Bomar alerted media that all press queries regarding the “Portland Force Protect Mission” should be conducted through the Office of the Secretary of War, since the 200 troops were now under the command of the Trump administration.
The Trump administration had federalized the troops for a mission to Portland on Sunday—against the objections of Oregon governor and Portland officials, who argue the move was obviously unnecessary, unlawful and likely to inflame tensions and endanger Oregonians. A few weeks ago, a television segment about the persistent but small scale protests at the local ICE facility caught the president’s eye.
The state has sued to block the takeover of the Oregon National Guard. But while that case is being litigated—oral arguments are set for Friday in federal court in Portland—the 200 troops tied to the mission remain under the president’s control. Oregon National Guard’s Brig. Gen. Alan Gronewold reminded guard members of this in a frank letter Monday.
“I need everyone to understand the command relationship with this particular mission. Once our service members are mobilized under title 10, they are in federal service,” Gronewold said, referring to a portion of U.S. law the Trump administration has invoked. “They answer to U.S. Northern Command—not to me and not to Governor Kotek. Different authority, and a different chain of command.”
The investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein first reported on the letter, a copy of which was later obtained by WW.
“I know some of you may have strong feelings about this mission,” Gronewold wrote. “That’s okay. You are citizens first, but you’re also service members who took an oath to support and defend the Constitution and follow the orders of the President and the Governor. That oath doesn’t come with an asterisk that says, ‘only when I agree with the mission.’ We don’t get to pick and choose. We execute lawful orders with professionalism and honor, period. That’s what sets us apart. That’s what makes us the National Guard.”
He added that he knows ”this isn’t easy.” Some people in Oregon won’t understand or support the mission, and many would be hostile to it, he said, but National Guard members are professionals who do their duty, regardless of how it is received.
“To those mobilizing: Execute your mission with honor,” Gronewold wrote. “Stay focused, stay professional, and stay safe. To those remaining: stand ready. Support your teammates. And keep taking care of Oregon.”
