Feds ink millions of dollars in contracts to feed, house National Guard in Memphis

Up to 1,000 members of the Tennessee National Guard will be patrolling Memphis at a cost of millions of dollars to the federal government.
(Photo: Karen Pulfer-Focht/Tennessee Lookout)

The federal government has entered into contracts worth millions of dollars to purchase food and lodging for the Tennessee National Guard in Memphis, new court filings say. 

Hotel contracts to house the troops have a current balance of $5,178,816, while contracts for meals have a $1,123,875 balance, according to a declaration by Lieut. Col. Dallas Clements, deputy director of military support for the Tennessee National Guard.

The declaration did not detail the length of the contracts or describe what payments to vendors, if any, the federal government has already made.

Clements’ declaration was filed Friday as part of the state’s defense in an ongoing legal challenge to the presence of the Tennessee National Guard in Memphis. Late Monday, Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal issued a temporary injunction blocking the deployment of the Guard to Memphis. The injunction was sought by a group of Democratic lawmakers, including Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, who allege that Gov. Bill Lee lacks the legal authority to do so under state law and the Tennessee Constitution.

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Lawyers defending the state submitted Clements’ declaration in support of their request that the elected officials post an $8 million bond in the case. Bonds are typically sought as a form of insurance to reimburse a party who incurs economic losses during a case but ultimately prevails. On Monday, Moskal ordered a $50,000 bond.

Lee, who commands the Guard, agreed to send troops to Memphis as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force convened by an executive order from President Donald Trump.

As of Friday, there were 719 National Guard supporting the work of the task force, according to Clements. 

That number is significantly higher than Guard personnel reported by the Memphis Police Department last week. A police department spokesperson said Thursday she estimated the total presence stood at 140-180 and would soon increase to 350.

The Guard is among hundreds of state and federal law enforcement officers currently in the city, issuing traffic tickets, serving warrants and making immigration arrests. 

The total cost for pay, allowances and benefits for activating up to 1,000 members of Tennessee National Guard in Memphis through Sept. 30, 2026 is estimated at $226 million, according to a Sept. 18 memo issued by Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of War for Policy included in the request for bond.

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Clements also noted there are 1653 National Guard assigned to Memphis-area duties that predate the task force, requesting that, if the court issues a temporary injunction, it is tailored so it does not interfere with these Guard members ongoing duties.  They have ongoing assignments with the 164th Airlift Wing that supports “global air mobility” on an ongoing basis. The nearby Millington Armory has long been home to a military police academy. And the Tennessee National Guard has had a storefront recruitment center in nearby Cordova.

The judge’s order on Monday specifically enjoins only the Guard members activated in accordance with the president’s memorandum establishing the Memphis Safe Task Force.

“It is vital that any orders connected to this lawsuit be tailored to address only National Guard support to the Memphis Safe task force,” he wrote.

Declaration of Dallas Clements