Several Republican senators have questioned the cost of an upcoming military parade set to take place on President Donald Trump’s birthday.
The parade is expected to be held in Washington, D.C., on June 14 to celebrate the Army’s 250th birthday, which also happens to fall on Trump’s 79th birthday.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, voiced his concern about the spectacle after he learned it would cost an estimated $25 million to $40 million, per Politico.
According to the publication, Wicker heard about the hefty cost from Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in an Army budget hearing. Driscoll said he could not provide an exact price for the parade because the Army will also need to pay for the road damage that its tanks will do, Politico reported.
NBC News reported, citing military officials, that it may cost as much as $16 million to repair the streets of Washington, D.C. after the parade.
“I would have recommended against the parade,” Wicker told Politico on Thursday.
Wicker did mention a positive possible outcome of the planned spectacle: “The secretary feels that it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for thousands of young Americans to see what a great opportunity it is to participate in a great military force, that it will be a recruiting tool.”
“So, we’ll see,” he added.
The Army has already met its recruiting goals for the 2025 fiscal year.
In a press release issued Tuesday, the Army announced it signed contracts with more than 61,000 future soldiers, four months before the end of the fiscal year.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, also critiqued the military parade.
“I’m glad that we’re honoring the Army. I think that’s really important to recognize such a significant anniversary,” she said in a recent interview with Politico. But “the cost does seem a bit steep,” the Republican added.
Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, went a step further to tell Politico, “If it costs money, I won’t go.”
The parade will feature roughly 6,600 Army troops who will wear uniforms from every military conflict the U.S. was involved in since the Revolutionary War. It will feature military equipment such as a WWII-vintage B-25 bomber, a P-1 fighter and Huey helicopters used in the Vietnam War, according to Politico.
Reuters reported that, according to the Army, there will also be 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, and four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles.
In a May 4 interview on Meet the Press with NBC News’ Kristen Welker, Trump said the cost of the parade is “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,” he said.
