U.S. Army soldiers at the southern border. Photo: John Moore via Getty Images
President Trump's plans to send as many as 15,000 troops to the southern border could cost more than $200 million by year-end, according to analyst and Pentagon estimates reported by the Washington Post.
The big picture: The added expenditure, which is just a fraction of the $716 billion the U.S. spends on defense each year, comes at a time when the government is operating under a 17% spike in the federal deficit — the largest increase in six years. Per the Post, Trump has ordered the Pentagon to cut $33 billion from its 2020 budget.