On Saturday, the Trump administration signed a waiver to expedite the transfer of nearly 10,000 Humvees from the military to local police departments across the country.
The move is a significant step toward creating more helicopters in the nation’s capital, which currently has less than half of the nation�s fleet.
The Humvee has served as a powerful tool for local law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and other communities where the federal government has long relied on military-grade vehicles to provide emergency services.
The department can now purchase up to four Humvehs for $1.1 million each.
But the move could make it easier for local police to obtain additional military equipment.
It has been almost three years since President Trump signed the Military Sealift Act, which provides a wide range of military equipment for local, state and local agencies.
The law is meant to boost military readiness, while also providing incentives for the Department of Defense to transfer surplus equipment to local departments.
The VA had already spent $200 million to buy more than 2,000 helicopters to help local law officers in the first year of the waiver.
The new VA plan would provide up to 20,000 additional Humvets for local agencies that request them.
The VA would also receive $500,000 for each of the vehicles and $100,000 per month for three years.
In Washington, the VA has already bought at least 100 additional Humbers to help provide additional police and fire services in the city.
The Trump administration will waive all restrictions on the transfer, which would not apply to departments with fewer than 10,400 employees.
The waiver allows the Pentagon to quickly transfer equipment to a department for as long as necessary.
The department said it would transfer the helicopters in an emergency if they were necessary to respond to a natural disaster or other emergency.
The Pentagon has been struggling to procure new vehicles, and the agency had to lay off some staff because of a lack of funds.