Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration recently awarded a massive contract for the construction of long-term housing for National Guard troops deployed in the nation's capitol.
The National Guard and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced Friday that Placemakr, a real estate company that specializes in building short-term housing, has been tapped to spearhead the project, according to NBC4 Washington. This will move troops from hotels into secure housing.
The company is tasked with constructing "up to 2,000 apartment-style lodging units" as part of what the government described as "the largest interagency lodging acquisition in National Guard history."
The GSA claims the contract will cost the government half as much as the hotels.
After winning reelection, President Trump aggressively targeted DC leadership, pushing claims that the city is rampant with violent crime and left in disrepair.
Troops were deployed to the city in September 2025 after Trump signed Executive Order 14252, which aims to make DC "safe, beautiful, and prosperous by preventing crime, punishing criminals."
To date, around 5,150 troops — comprised of 599 DC National Guard and 4,403 service members from 21 other states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands — remain in the city.
The new deal has faced criticism, as it does not include an end date for the contract, and the Trump administration has given no indication as to when the deployment will end.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the deployment is costing the government $3 million daily, per reports by The Hill, while lawmakers estimated that taxpayers are paying nearly $1.65 million to help foot the bill.