Washington, DC—July 16, 2021....Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) and Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42), along with House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Kay Granger (TX-12), today introduced a bill to fully reimburse the National Guard for its mission to secure the U.S. Capitol and surrounding grounds. Without this warranted funding, the National Guard will be forced to cancel critical trainings that will impact readiness, operations, and our men and women in uniform.

Congressman Womack said, “Whenever America calls, our National Guard members are ‘Always Ready, Always There.’ Over the last year, these citizen soldiers have dutifully carried out every mission asked of them. This bill is a simple solution to a problem that shouldn’t exist. Instead of partisan bickering and bloated spending packages that do not meet the definition of ‘emergency,’ it’s time for Congress to do its most basic duty and provide our men and women in uniform with the funding they are owed.”

Congressman Calvert said, “In America’s times of great need, National Guard members are there to respond to our emergencies and disasters. It is essential that Congress act in a quick and bipartisan fashion to ensure the Guard has the resources it needs to fulfill its critical mission. Our legislation avoids any partisan or unrelated issues and simply provides the funding the Guard needs so that training will not be impacted.”  

If the National Guard is not provided the supplemental funding they are due by August 1^st, they estimate their readiness capabilities will decrease by fifteen to twenty percent. Many units nationwide and in U.S. territories will be forced to:

• Cancel annual training and individual duty training assemblies from August to September
• Halt training site and armory upgrades
• Cease some flying operations
• Suspend training vehicle movement and maintenance for months
• Deny guard members the ability to obtain the necessary service time to receive credit for a full duty year

The bill prevents this shortfall and supports our citizen soldiers by simply appropriating the $521 million owed to the Guard for its deployment. Unlike previous “supplemental packages,” this one does not include extraneous or partisan provisions and could be quickly signed into law.

They were joined in this effort by every Republican member of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and other House Republican Appropriators. This includes Representatives Hal Rogers (KY-5), Tom Cole (OK-4), John Carter (TX-31), Robert Aderholt (AL-4), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Mark Amodei (NV-2), John Rutherford (FL-4), Steven Palazzo (MS-4), Dan Newhouse (WA-4), David Joyce (OH-14), Mike Garcia (CA-25), John Moolenaar (MI-4), and Ben Cline (VA-6).

Womack is a steadfast supporter of our National Guard and other defenders. He has previously urged House and Senate leaders to act and also offered an amendment on the issue during Appropriations markup. Additionally, he recently introduced a resolution honoring guard members, advocated for resources for their COVID-19 response efforts, and supported their State Partnership program.

Click here to read the bill.

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

womack.house.gov

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