Between 5,000 to 7,000 troops will remain in n D.C. until mid-March
National Guards remain in DC despite it almost being a month since the Capitol riots
The National Guard has remained in Washington D.C. since Jan. 6 and the cost of keeping them there has reached an estimated $438 million, according to a senior defense official.
It has been almost a month since riots rocked the U.S. Capitol, but between 5,000 and 7,000 of the Guards still remain.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had committed to ordering all units to “stand down” in the next 60 days, Neon Nettle reported on Thursday.
Between 5,000 to 7,000 troops will remain in D.C. until mid-March, which was reduced from 26,000 that were deployed for Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Fox News previously reported that D.C. National Guard would “remain on orders until March 31, 2021.”
National Guards were called to help keep the peace during Trump’s rally on January 6.
Last month, acting Army Secretary John E. Whitley said the Guard had received requests for follow-on assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement entities in D.C.
“National Guard members will be postured to meet the requirements of the supported civil authorities up to and including protective equipment and arming if necessary,” Whitley said at the time.
But the Guard’s presence has ignited criticism from some.
“The lesson of the Capitol riot is not that we should quarter a standing army at the Capitol just in case, but rather that our security measures should be calibrated to the actual threats,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said at the end of last month.
The Guard’s presence in DC has ignited criticism
Mayor Muriel Bowser called on the Department of Defense (DOD) to activate the National Guard to help keep the peace during Trump’s rally on January 6.
In January, thousands of National Guardsmen were photographed sleeping in near-freezing parking garages after officials in Democrat-run Washington D.C booted the troops out of the Capitol building over a “mask complaint.”
“Yesterday dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service,” a National Guardsmen told Politico at the time.
“Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage.”
“We feel incredibly betrayed.”
MILITARY SOURCE IN DC:
“For the last week my battalion has been sleeping on the floor in the Senate cafeteria. Today the Senate kicked us out & moved us to a cold parking garage.
5000 soldiers.
1 power outlet.
One bathroom.
This is how Joe Biden’s America treats solders.”PHOTOS pic.twitter.com/622sQmciq4
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) January 22, 2021
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy blasted Pelosi and Schumer for the situation:
“Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer—why are American troops who are tasked with keeping security at the Capitol being forced to sleep in a parking lot? They deserve to be treated with respect, and we deserve answers.”
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ARTICLE SOURCE: newsthud.com
