In a letter to Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the 13 Democratic senators say they're concerned with the administration's growing efforts to dedicate military forces, assets, resources and personnel to support the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
"The American people deserve clarity on the chosen priorities and missions of the Department of Defense and the short- and long-term implications for national security and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars of this new focus on a mission usually reserved for law enforcement professionals," the senators write.
President Trump has ordered active duty and National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to support federal and local law enforcement officials in conducting immigration missions, cracking down on protests and combating crime.
Earlier this week, Trump said National Guard soldiers also would be on the ground in Tennessee as part of the newly established Memphis Safe Task Force, which will also include law enforcement from the FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Homeland Security Investigations; and U.S. marshals.
Trump said Chicago will be "probably next," as he has eyed sending federal law enforcement into the Illinois city for weeks — a move the state's governor, Democrat JB Pritzker, opposes.
Other administration officials have indicated troops could be sent to New Orleans and Baltimore, much in the same way they have been utilized in Washington. Roughly 2,300 troops are in the city but have largely stood idle or been tasked with "beautification" efforts, such as clearing trash, painting fences, spreading mulch and clearing roadways.
That use of resources "could have devastating effects on our military readiness and trusted relationship between the public and the servicemembers who are meant to protect them from external threats," the Democratic senators write.
The military's use in domestic issues is also costly, the lawmakers argue, as they have fielded platforms and systems that are much more expensive than their civilian alternatives, "such as using military aircraft for deportations and relying on warships and Army surveillance systems for detection and monitoring along the border and in U.S. territory."
The senators point out that there has been no official public accounting of how the costs of using these assets, compared to possibly more affordable alternatives, and whether the Pentagon has been reimbursed for its services.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
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