U.S. military parade spurs debate on financial, political costs
The White House says plans are rolling as the U.S. Army prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary June 14th. Several counter protests are expected nationwide.
The White House says plans are rolling as the U.S. Army prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary June 14th. Several counter protests are expected nationwide.
The White House says plans are rolling as the U.S. Army prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary June 14th. Several counter protests are expected nationwide.
A massive parade to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the is set for Washington, D.C., this weekend. It's expected to draw more than 6,000 soldiers and thousands more spectators.
Taxpayers will foot the estimated $45 million bill for the parade, according to the Pentagon.
For President Donald Trump, the ceremony, which also falls on his birthday, is a show of unmistakable national pride.
"We have the strongest military in the world," President Trump
But planned counter protests across the country have raised concerns about the parade's cost and its broader message.
"That [money] could be going to Medicare, Medicaid, and our veterans," an organizer with said. "We are going to be standing up in peaceful protest from coast to coast. We are not going to just turn the other cheek."
There are more financial costs to consider. In Los Angeles, Marine and National Guard deployments to manage immigration raid protests will add another $134 million to taxpayers' bill.
Democrats have criticized the deployments, calling them a misuse of government funds.
"They should never, never be deployed against the American people who are exercising their Constitutional right," Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said in a Thursday.
But concerns are going beyond the financial costs. Protestors say the message behind the parade edges on
"The reason it's gotten controversial is that Trump is very, very interested in using the military in ways that the public is not used to seeing it used," from the Brookings Institution, said. "To a lot of Americans, this is a bit of an overkill, and it makes people uncomfortable. We're not supposed to have U.S. military doing this on U.S. soil."
A new shows that while more adults approve than disapprove of the parade, 60% of Americans believe it is not a good use of government funds. Still, the public remains divided on overall military spending, with some arguing the U.S. spends too much on defense, while others believe more spending is needed.
The final bill between the parade and the military deployment could end up costing taxpayers even more. The Trump administration has pledged to deploy more troops to cities across the country if protests turn violent.