Trump's military parade could cost $30m – White House budget chief

Staff and agencies in Washington
Updated

  • Mick Mulvaney tells House budget committee of estimated cost

  • Trump impressed by Emmanuel Macron’s parade in Paris last year

Trump with Macron in Paris last July. Critics have ridiculed the idea of a costly display at a time when the Pentagon is short of cash.
Trump with Macron in Paris last July. Critics have ridiculed the idea of a costly display at a time when the Pentagon is short of cash. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

A military parade requested by Donald Trump could cost between $10m and $30m, according to the White House budget chief.

Mick Mulvaney was asked about the parade in a congressional hearing on Wednesday about the administration’s spending plan for fiscal year 2019.

Mulvaney told the House budget committee that estimates are “very preliminary.” He said they’re “between 10 and 30 depending on the length” of the parade.

“I’ve various different cost estimates from between I think $10m and $30m depending on the size of the parade, the scope of it, the length of it,” Mulvaney said.

“Obviously an hour parade is different from a five-hour parade in terms of the cost and the equipment and those types of things.”

Trump reportedly came up with the idea of showing off US military might after a 2017 trip to France when he and French president Emmanuel Macron reviewed that country’s defense forces marching down the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Trump ordered the defense department to look into a comparable display of military might that he could review, although Mulvaney said the administration hasn’t yet decided to go forward with the plan.

“We’ll continue to work with you folks if we decided to push forward,” Mulvaney told the lawmakers.

Defense secretary Jim Mattis said last week he believed Trump wants Washington to host the parade but left open the possibility that it could be staged elsewhere.

Critics have ridiculed the idea of a costly display at a time when the Pentagon is struggling to cover the expenses of training, support and personnel.

Speaking at the hearingn Democratic congresswoman Barbara Lee said: “You know the parade is very similar to those held in authoritarian countries like North Korea.”

Mulvaney said the administration would have to seek an appropriation from Congress or redirect existing funds to finance the parade. Trump’s new budget requested $686bn for the Pentagon’s budget next year.

Mulvaney said: “We’ve actually had many military parades in this country before. I think we had one as recently as the 1990s, and maybe one more recently than that.”