Hegseth Defends Deployment to LA, Estimated to Cost $134 Million

WATCH: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says President Trump was legally allowed to deploy Marines into Los Angeles.Source: Bloomberg

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By Roxana Tiron (BGOV)

June 10, 2025 at 3:08 PM UTC

Updated on

June 10, 2025 at 4:07 PM UTC

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back against Democrats’ criticism of the decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles, telling Congress that the Trump administration wants to protect immigration agents and keep demonstrations there from getting out of control.

Asked by Representative Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, how much the deployment would cost, Hegseth criticized Governor Tim Walz’s handling of protests that erupted after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis 2020.