President Donald Trump’s military parade this fall is shaping up to cost $80 million more than initially estimated.
The Department of Defense and its interagency partners have updated their perspective cost estimates for the parade, according to a U.S. defense official with firsthand knowledge of the assessment. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The parade, slated for Nov. 10, is estimated to cost $92 million, the official said. The figure includes $50 million from the Pentagon and $42 million from interagency partners such as the Department of Homeland Security. An initial estimate last month pegged the prospective cost for the parade at $12 million.
A Pentagon spokesman said in an email to CNBC that the Defense Department expects to make an announcement soon, but he would not comment further. The White House referred questions to the Defense Department.
The $92 million cost estimate includes security, transportation of parade assets, aircraft, as well as temporary duty, or TDY, for troops. The official also noted that while the size and scope of the military parade can still shift, the plans currently include approximately eight tanks, as well as other armored vehicles, including Bradleys, Strykers and M113s.
The official also said that experts put to rest concerns about whether the Abrams tank, which weighs just shy of 70 tons, would ruin infrastructure in Washington. Their analysis found that, because of the vehicle’s distributed weight and track pads, the streets of the nation’s capital would not be compromised.
The parade is also expected to include helicopter, fighter jet, transport aircraft as well as historical military plane flyovers. Troops in period uniforms representing the past, present and future forces will march in the parade, as well.
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Trump's military parade is estimated to cost $92 million – $80 million more than earlier estimate https://t.co/4jXBfBzQuA
— CNBC (@CNBC) August 16, 2018
Is no one going to put a stop to this insanity? Our retirement fund keeps shrinking, people are struggling to pay for medical care and we are going to spend $92 million for a juvenile ego-stroking folly parade? They need to rein in this wanna-be dictator and start fixing some of the damage he has cost us.
Trump is playing this country like a teenager playing a video game. The results however are not going to be as harmless as goofing around with a game of Warcraft.
While making his supporters feel good by his Twittering mean stuff and sending more US jobs to Mexico and overseas real people’s lives are being damaged and our nation’s security put at risk. We’ll be left to pick up the pieces once he is finished with his new reality show he calls an Administration.
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