Gov. Mike DeWine has outrageously dispatched Ohio National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to fight a “crime wave” that doesn’t exist. Meanwhile, Ohio cities like Cincinnati face very real challenges that he continues to ignore.
What’s in it for him? In President Donald Trump’s pay-for-play White House, no favor is free. DeWine owes us an answer: Is he trading Ohio’s resources for his own political gain? And how much is this pointless deployment costing Ohio taxpayers?
By most estimates, the price tag is staggering: $530 per National Guard member, per day; half a million dollars a day for 1,000 troops; and millions more once transport, housing, and equipment are added.
DeWine should stop currying favor with Trump and start doing the job Ohioans elected him to do.
Betty Coutant, New Richmond
Deploying troops to DC isn’t tough; it’s pathetic
It is beyond sad that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is so feeble against President Donald Trump’s autocratic instincts. What an insult to our troops and taxpayers to send the Ohio National Guard to Washington, D.C., for an expensive, made-up, political fear-mongering effort to claim “toughness.” This abuse of power is not tough. It’s pathetic!
Sue Mangan, Hyde Park
Sending the Ohio National Guard to DC is a political stunt
While I saw Gov. Mike DeWine’s comments on his deployment of the Ohio National Guard to Washington, D.C., he dodged the essential question. What exactly does deploying Ohioans to Washington, D.C., for a non-existent problem have to do with the state of Ohio? How exactly is it “the right thing to do?”
It is not consistent with past deployments, as he stated. It is a stunt and does not align with the ideals on which this country was founded. The governor should be ashamed of his action. I know I am ashamed of being an Ohioan right now.
Mike Miller, Pendleton
DeWine is wrong to send troops to D.C.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has announced he is sending 150 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to crack down on violent crime there. But statistics from the Department of Justice indicate violent crime is down to a 30-year low in D.C. and down 26% over last year.
DeWine justifies his decision by saying Trump decided to send troops, not him and that the Army asked for backup support. The Ohio National Guard exists to respond to emergencies in our state, such as natural disasters like the catastrophic flooding experienced in Texas or the train derailment and devastation that occurred in East Palestine with the release of toxic fumes. No such emergency exists that warrants sending our Ohio taxpayer-funded resources to Washington, D.C.
DeWine is enabling Trump’s dystopian view to militarize the police force against its own citizens, particularly those who are engaged in peaceful protest and exercising their First Amendment rights. It’s time to call it what it is: This is a martial law soft launch to expand Trump’s authoritarian vision.
If you don’t think this can happen at the ballot box in 2026, just wait and see.
Julie Young, Loveland
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohioans call out DeWine’s National Guard deployment as a political stunt | Letters
Reporting by Letters to the editor / Cincinnati Enquirer
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