Congress Clears $521M to Pay for National Guard Costs Tied to Jan. 6 Attack
Congress on Thursday overwhelmingly passed $521 million to reimburse the National Guard for providing 26,000 troops to protect the Capitol after the Jan. 6 riot — an unexpected expense that was poised to result in training cutbacks for Guard units across the country.
The National Guard Bureau used its budget to pay for the mission at the U.S. Capitol, covering the costs of state National Guards deploying support to Washington, D.C., for riot response and President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The Capitol was attacked by supporters of former President Donald Trump on the day Congress met to certify the winner of the 2020 election.
Most troops returned home after several weeks, but some remained on Capitol Hill through May as concerns about security remained.
While those unexpected costs dragged on, Congress did not approve more money to backfill the National Guard’s operational budget, leaving a shortfall for the final months of the budget year.
As a result, money that state Guard units needed in August and September to pay for drill weekends, annual training, and other operations and maintenance was no longer available.
Told that those federal dollars would not be flowing, state units have been scrambling to prevent guard members from losing pay.
“Without reimbursement funding, there is significant impact on National Guard readiness if we’re not able to resolve this in a timely manner,” Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, said in a statement ahead of Thursday’s vote.
Maryland National Guard troops were deployed to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7.
Last week, Major General Timothy E. Gowen, the adjutant general of the Maryland National Guard, sent a letter to Maryland’s congressional delegation, urging reimbursement and outlining cuts the unit faced without emergency funding.
Gowen warned that the Maryland National Guard needed an immediate cash infusion before Aug. 1 or could be forced to immediately cancel most training programs for the rest of the year.
“Most importantly, the funding limitations will mean we cannot meet our payroll requirements for our military and civilian technician workforce,” Gowen wrote. “These are the same full-time personnel that enabled a rapid and consistent response in the first days of the pandemic and sustained operations as we assisted with vaccine distribution.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, lauded the Senate passage of the emergency security supplemental package.
“While our democracy was under attack, members of the U.S. Capitol Police Force, the National Guard, and the D.C. Metropolitan Police stepped up to protect it. These public servants – many of whom I represent – risked their lives and answered the call when our country needed them,” Van Hollen said in a statement after the vote. “Now, our country needs to be there for them.”
The emergency funding was ultimately included in a $2.1 billion supplemental security bill, which also included additional money for the Capitol Police and for a special visa program for Afghan refugees who had aided the U.S. mission there.
The Senate voted 98-0 on Thursday to pass that bill, and shortly after, the U.S. House of Representatives also gave its approval on a 416-11 vote.
“By passing this bill, we have honored the service of the Capitol Police and the National Guard with the funding they need,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, (D-Conn.), chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee. “And we have sent a clear message that we respect the hard work they do.”
The measure now heads to the president’s desk for his signature.
A White House statement said the Biden administration “strongly supports” the National Guard funding in the measure, saying it “would enable the National Guard to continue its military training activities for the remainder” of the fiscal year.
The National Governors Association said as a result of Thursday’s votes, states will no longer be faced with tough financial decisions on canceling training sessions or deferring equipment maintenance.
But the group said the late timing did mean that some smaller training events had already been canceled.
Danielle E. Gaines contributed to this report.
Laura Olson
Reporter
Laura Olson covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom, a network of nonprofit outlets that includes Maryland Matters. Her areas of coverage include politics and policy, lobbying, elections, and campaign finance.
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