The Pentagon on Tuesday said that deploying National Guard troops and US Marines to Los Angeles will cost an estimated $134 million over 60 days, a move that has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers.

Testifying before the House Appropriations Defence Subcommittee, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the mission was necessary to support federal agents during protests sparked by immigration raids in California. The cost — primarily for travel, lodging, and meals — was confirmed by Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, the Defence Department’s acting chief financial officer.

Pentagon officials said the funding for the deployment will come from the Defence Department’s operations and maintenance budget.

“We’ve been clear from the start-this is a 60-day mission because we want to send a message to the rioters, looters, and thugs attacking law enforcement that we’re not backing down,” Hegseth said during the hearing.

TRUMP THREATENS TO INVOKE INSURRECTION ACT

The deployment includes around 700 active-duty Marines and more than 4,100 National Guard members, a show of federal force that critics argue is politically motivated and legally questionable. Under the Posse Comitatus Act, US troops cannot engage in domestic law enforcement unless the Insurrection Act is invoked — a step President Donald Trump said he’s considering.

“If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We’ll see,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday in the Oval Office. “There were certain areas of Los Angeles last night that you could have called an insurrection.”

When pressed by Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) about the necessity and legality of the deployment, Hegseth doubled down.

“President Trump believes in law and order, so he has every authority,” Hegseth said.

He also said that such troop mobilisations could become more common, “We’re entering another phase where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure the homeland.”

With inputs from AP