Army parade will cost millions
The U.S. Army plans to spend between $25 million and $45 million on a parade in Washington D.C., and that’s just the start of the expense. The dollar total will likely grow as other federal agencies contribute to the festivities, according to ABC News.
The June 14 parade marks the 250th anniversary of the Army’s founding. As dozens of media outlets have already pointed out, it’s also Donald Trump’s 79th birthday, though the president told NBC News the celebration is “not necessarily” related to his personal milestone.
The price tag includes costs to fly in 6,600 soldiers and transport 200 vehicles, including planes and tanks. Fireworks and live music are also in store, ABC News reported.
Trump planned a similar parade in 2018, but it was scrapped after concerns with the $92 million price and worries that tanks would tear up the local roads.
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is still worried about the road damage. She said in April that tanks on the streets would “not be good” and the city would need “many millions of dollars” for repairs, PBS reported.
KSL.com notes that large military parades in the capital are not unheard of, with Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy’s inaugurations featuring thousands of troops. Still, the most recent parade listed by the news outlet was back in 1991.
Trump declined to tell NBC News how much he believed the parade would cost, but Defense officials estimated $45 million.
Trump argued that the number would be “peanuts compared to the value of doing it. We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it.”
Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., introduced a bill called the HAPPY BIRTHDAY Budget Act. The creative (if a bit forced) acronym stands for “Halting All Parades for Presidents’ Yearly Birthdays; It Risks Taxpayer Harm, Damages, And Your Budget.”
“Donald Trump may imagine himself an all-powerful ruler, but he is a president, not a potentate, and the American people don’t pay tribute to him as if he were a king,” Cohen said. “Least of all, do we waste taxpayer dollars burnishing his insatiable ego. This bill makes clear that any president, now or in the future, cannot make the public pay for his birthday entertainment or swell his covetous pride.”
Regardless of the date, a $45 million parade is not a good look for an administration that claims it is focused on improving cost efficiency in the military.
(The #WasteOfTheDay is from forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com via RealClearWire.)
