QUESTION:
How much will Trump's military parade in DC cost?
ANSWER:
Neither the Pentagon nor Dc's Mayor know. It's expected to cost millions.
SOURCES:
Mike Litterst- National Park Service, Chief of Communications
Susana Castillo- Deputy Press Secretary for DC Mayor Bowser
Thomas Crosson- Department of Defense Spokesperson
Nora Strumf- National Cherry Blossom Festival Spokesperson
PROCESS:
If you've been close to a screen today, chances are you've heard of President Trump's plans for a gallant military parade along Pennsylvania Avenue.
We asked your questions to the top dogs.
First, does DC's Mayor have a plan for the parade?
FALSE.
Mayor Bowser's Office says the White House hasn't contacted them period, according to Susana Castillo, deputy press secretary.
They have no idea how big this event is gonna be and are awaiting "an official proposal."
Next--Has the Military been planning this for a long time?
FALSE.
"We are aware of the request and are in the process of determining specific details. We will share more information through the planning process," Department of Defense spokesperson Thomas Crosson said.
They heard about the parade along with the rest of the world.
Since both the Pentagon and DC government couldn't give us a rough estimate on costs, let alone much else about what this parade will look like, we looked for answers elsewhere.
We called the National Park Service and the National Cherry Blossom Festival to find out how much taxpayer money is used to put on the parades during Independence Day and the Cherry Blossom Festival.
The answer? Zilch. Both are privately sponsored events.
In D.C. there's a rule on who must be on-site at a parade with more than 50,000 people.
According to the Mayor's Special Event Task Group, trash collectors cost $32 per hour.
Each Police Office is paid $70 per hour.
An Ambulance is 200 an hour and a tow truck nearly 600.
There's still a lot of things we can't yet Verify--that's because the government just doesn't have the answers yet.
