National Guard Given Trash Duty Because of Trump's Own Cuts [View all]

Source: Daily Beast

Updated Aug. 27 2025 12:04PM EDT
Published Aug. 27 2025 10:39AM EDT


National Guard troops that President Donald Trump ordered into Washington, D.C., have been spotted picking up trash after Trump slashed the federal workforce.

The troops, whom Trump deployed after declaring a “crime emergency” in the capital, were seen wearing yellow gloves and orange vests over their camouflage uniforms in Lafayette Park across from the White House on Tuesday, according to WTTG-TV.

Joint Task Force-D.C., which has been overseeing the Guard’s operations since Trump deployed the troops, said the service members have been tasked with helping on more than 40 “beautification projects” around the city, according to The Washington Post. Officials say the troops were also collecting trash in Lafayette Square, the Tidal Basin, and the National Mall.

Much of the work being carried out by the Guards would normally fall under the remit of the National Park Service, which, despite struggling for staff before the Trump administration, has suffered at the hands of Trump’s sweeping cuts to the federal workforce.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-crimefighting-shock-troops-ordered-to-clean-up-trash-near-the-white-house/