Politics

Maryland National Guard says Congress has not yet reimbursed them for Capitol protection

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The Maryland National Guard said it is in a tight financial position as Congress has yet to reimburse costs associated with sending troops to protect the US Capitol.

Major General Gowen said, “To date, neither the National Guard nor the Department of Defense writ large has received reimbursement for the deployment of over 25,000 National Guard members to the District for a period of over four months.” In a letter to Maryland Senator Benjamin Cardin, Gowen stated that funds delivered after August 1st will be ineffective since fiscal systems do not allow for negative budgets to occur.

Gowen continued, “Without an immediate plus-up we will have to cancel most of our drill and annual training periods for the rest of the fiscal year,” he wrote. “In addition, we will be forced to cease most equipment and system maintenance right as we head into the height of hurricane season. Most importantly, the funding limitations will mean we cannot meet our payroll requirements for our civilian technician workforce.”

Following the demonstrations on January 6th, over 25,000 National Guard members were sent to reinforce the Capitol. The cost of deployment was over $500 million according to a report by the Associated Press. In June, FBA reported, “The half-billion-dollar National Guard price tag to man the U.S. Capitol for more than five months following the Jan. 6 riot has depleted the Guard’s funds and will affect readiness if Congress does not act, National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Daniel Hokanson said.”

In June, a Senate report suggested the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI failed to warn law enforcement about the potential for violence at the Capitol on January 6th. At the time, FBA reported, “The report found that the Capitol Police’s internal intelligence components “failed to convey the full scope of threat information they possessed” to Capitol Police leadership, rank-and-file officers or law enforcement partners.”

ARTICLE: ANTOINETTE AHO

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: THE WASHINGTON POST

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