Beyond the direct line items in the Pentagon’s budget, experts point to “opportunity costs.” Critics, including policy analysts from Taxpayers for Common Sense, argue that using the military for crime prevention is fiscally inefficient. Federalized Guard members are generally prohibited from performing actual law enforcement duties, such as making arrests or conducting searches.

“It would be far more cost-effective to invest in local law enforcement,” argues Gabe Murphy, a policy analyst. From a purely economic standpoint, the “return on investment” for a soldier acting as a visual deterrent is significantly lower than that of a trained police officer who can process cases and clear investigations.