The Office of Management and Budget’s budget proposal for fiscal 2027 largely asks Congress to focus on boosting the Department of War’s budget and cutting spending among many other federal agencies. But the president’s vision to make D.C. “safe and beautiful again” gave many programs across the capital a pass from the domestic spending cuts in the budget request.
“As the capital of the greatest Nation in the history of the world, Washington, D.C. should showcase beautiful, clean, and safe public spaces,” Vought wrote in the proposal. “However, many historic park features and public-facing infrastructure throughout the city show signs of decay, years of heavy public use, and inadequate maintenance. Under the President’s leadership, the Administration is committed to making Washington, D.C.—a once-great city—safe, clean, and beautiful again.”
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Here’s a breakdown of some of the D.C.-oriented requests in Trump’s 2027 budget proposal:
$10 billion for a new Presidential Capital Stewardship Program
The Trump administration is requesting a $10 billion investment into the Department of the Interior to create a program focused on implementing “targeted, priority construction and beautification projects” in D.C.
The significant investment in the so-called “Presidential Capital Stewardship Program” would be implemented by the National Park Service, which manages about 90% of Washington, D.C.’s parkland.
“Once complete, these projects would improve safety and accessibility, rehabilitate historic buildings and landscapes, and enhance architectural grandeur so that Americans can once again be proud of the Nation’s capital,” Vought wrote in the budget proposal. “In addition, this generational investment in the restoration of Washington, D.C. would drive economic development in the city, increase visitation from across the world, and lower future infrastructure lifecycle costs.”
Since the start of his second term, Trump has discussed several beautification and construction projects he hopes to bring to Washington, D.C., many of which would affect National Park Service lands and may qualify for fiscal 2027 funding.
The National Park Service has specifically flagged several projects it is working on as part of Trump’s executive order to make D.C. “safe and beautiful again.” These projects include infrastructure improvements to major parks in residential hubs like Dupont Circle, Meridian Hill, and Logan Circle.
They also include improvements to various monuments across the city, including the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the World War II Memorial.
Further, some of the hallmark construction projects Trump has touted could fall under this initiative, including his “Independence Arch” over Memorial Circle on NPS’s Columbia Island. Trump introduced the concept of the triumphal arch at a White House event for donors to his East Wing Ballroom project.
“It’s going to be really beautiful. I think it’s going to be fantastic,” Trump said of the proposed arch last year.
$403 million for transportation initiatives
OMB requested an additional $403 million investment from Congress for Department of Transportation initiatives in Washington, D.C.
“The program provides funds at the Secretary’s discretion to support a number of D.C.-related priorities, such as improving visibility of law enforcement in the D.C. Metro, including camera and monitoring systems, increased lighting in and around stations, and cybersecurity system upgrades,” Vought wrote in the budget proposal.
The vision also detailed that the designated “Safe and Beautiful Transportation in Washington D.C.” funding would be allocated toward the Transportation Department’s improvement plans for D.C.’s Union Station.
Since Trump made the move in August 2025 to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department and deploy the National Guard to the district, National Guardsmen have patrolled Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Metrorail and Metrobus stations. They have also been stationed in and around Union Station.
The increased law enforcement presence in these transportation centers has been a tangible, everyday effect of the D.C. “safe and beautiful” initiative for Washington residents, and the increased camera and cybersecurity initiatives in these stations would build off of that momentum.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been leading the Trump administration’s push to rehabilitate Union Station into what he’s said will be a “safer, cleaner, and more financially stable” train station. He signed an agreement with Amtrak to restore federal control of the station as the department looks to make security and aesthetic improvements.
$605 million for the National Guard in D.C.
The White House also specified in a fact sheet that the budget proposal allocates $605 million in additional funding for the National Guard’s mission in Washington, D.C.
“An additional $605 million for National Guard mobilizations to the DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force is included for the safeguarding of our Nation’s capital and $216 million for the National Guard Reaction Force to respond to incidents requiring defense support of civil authorities,” the White House said.
The allocation would mean the National Guard is expected to maintain its presence in the capital into 2027. The guardsmen were initially deployed in D.C. in mid-August 2025 when Trump declared a crime emergency in the capital.
In late March, Trump told reporters that he “never” wants to withdraw the National Guard from Washington, D.C.
“People, they look, they say, ‘We feel so good, we feel so safe. We see these beautiful, strong people, and they’re so nice,” Trump said of the National Guard’s impact on the district. “They help. They open the doors for people. They carry bags. They pick up paper when they see paper on the ground.”
After deploying the National Guard to D.C. and seeing the subsequent reduction in crime, Trump sent National Guard troops to cities such as Memphis and New Orleans. He also ordered National Guard troops to Chicago, Portland, and Los Angeles, though those deployments faced legal backlash from blue-state leaders and were blocked by federal judges.
Additional federal Law enforcement in D.C.
The White House’s budget proposal also cites the success of the Trump administration’s efforts to combat crime in American cities, such as Washington, D.C. The proposal requested an additional $3 billion to continue federal crime-reduction efforts in American cities, but did not detail which cities it intends to invest the requested budget.
“Operation Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful has made over 10,200 arrests, seized over 1,050 firearms, and rescued 19 missing children,” Vought wrote. “Compared to last year, the Nation’s Capital has experienced a 57-percent reduction in homicides, a 49-percent reduction in violent crime, a 62-percent reduction in robberies, and a 36-percent reduction in car thefts.”
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Vought wrote that the budget proposal intends to build on the Trump administration’s model deployed to reduce crime in Washington, D.C., and Memphis.
The budget proposal also addresses the increased presence of U.S. Park Police in Washington, D.C., and says it wants to sustain that increased number in 2027 in accordance with Trump’s August 2025 Executive Order “Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia.”
