National Guard deployed to Washington, D.C., in federal anti-crime push

The U.S. government’s gross national debt has surpassed $37 trillion, a record that highlights the accelerating debt on America’s balance sheet and increased cost pressures on taxpayers.

The $37 trillion update is found in the latest Treasury Department report issued today, which logs the nation’s daily finances.

The national debt eclipsed $37 trillion years sooner than pre-pandemic projections. The Congressional Budget Office’s January 2020 projections had gross federal debt eclipsing $37 trillion after fiscal year 2030. But the debt grew faster than expected because of the multiyear Covid-19 pandemic starting in 2020, which shut down much of the U.S. economy, when the federal government borrowed heavily Trump in his first term and President Joe Biden to stabilize the national economy and support a recovery.

And now, more government spending has been approved after Trump signed Republicans’ tax cut and spending legislation into law this year. The law is set to add $4.1 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.

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Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to hold their long-anticipated summit at a U.S. military base in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, according to a White House official.

The meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson will be their first during Trump’s second term as he seeks to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

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Some National Guard troops are deploying tonight with D.C. police, a senior Army official confirmed.

This is the beginning of the deployment, and the full roster of 800 troops ordered to Washington should be operational and deployed at the end of the week.

National Guard troops began arriving at the D.C. Armory today to report for duty to carry out Trump’s directive to address crime in the nation’s capital.

The guard members, who entered the D.C. National Guard’s headquarters east of the U.S. Capitol dressed in their military uniforms, are part of a mobilization of about 800 soldiers the Army activated yesterday to assist with law enforcement.

This evening, five military vehicles were parked in the shadow of the Washington Monument as tourists passed by. About a dozen guard members were milling about but did not engage with a reporter asking about their mission.

A defense official told NBC News today that guard members will specifically be engaged in crowd management, perimeter control, security and communications support for law enforcement. The official said that in most cases, they won’t be carrying firearms.

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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said tonight that she expected members of the National Guard to be deployed on federal property in the nation's capital.

"My expectation, though it can change, is that they will deploy the guard on federal properties — that includes parks, monuments, federal buildings," Bowser said when a participant asked her in a virtual conversation with community leaders for more details about the Trump administration's plans in its anti-crime push.

Bowser also said anticipated that higher-incident areas "would be for where the federal surge officers would go. So they are their law enforcement officers, not National Guard."

National Guard members reported for duty today at the National Armory. NBC News reported earlier that they were issued a notice that said the order covers the period from Aug. 11 to Sept. 25.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said this evening that Trump was wrong to assume that the city overall is "dirty" because of its homeless encampments.

"I know from many conversations with President Trump that this is like his issue — seeing homeless encampments. I don't know, it just triggers something in him that has him believing that our very beautiful city is dirty, which it is not," Bowser said during a virtual conversation with community leaders.

Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser urged D.C. community leaders tonight to "jump in" to support the city in the ways they know best, characterizing Trump's actions as an "authoritarian push."

"What you shouldn’t do is wait for me to tell you what to do," Bowser said during a virtual conversation. "This is a time where community needs to jump in, and we all need to do what we can in our space, in our lane, to protect our city and to protect our autonomy, to protect our home rule and get to the other side of this guy."

She was responding to a question that focused on what role the faith community could play as Trump takes control of the Metropolitan Police Department and beefs up federal law enforcement in the nation’s capital.

Bowser also called on the leaders to engage in efforts to elect Democrats to the U.S. House to serve as a "backstop" to the Trump administration.

The Texas redistricting fight has provided the Democrats eyeing the state’s Senate race with an elevated platform ahead of a potentially crowded primary clash.

State Rep. James Talarico, who has been considering a bid for the seat held by GOP Sen. John Cornyn, is in the middle of the debate as one of the Democrats who are holed up in Illinois to deny Republicans the chance to move forward with a plan to net their party up to five more House seats in Washington.

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Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Army Vice Chief of Staff General Mingus greeted troops today at the National Armory, according to a defense official.

The official said Mingus wanted to motivate troops and lay out some of the details of the law enforcement operation.

“What we’ve been told clearly and distinctly is that we will be in a support role to law enforcement,” an Army spokesperson said in a statement.