Press Releases
Womack Offers Motion to Recommit Supporting National Guard and Capitol Police
Washington,
July 28, 2021
Washington, DC—July 28, 2021....Today, Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) offered a Motion to Recommit (MTR) on the House floor to support our defenders. His proposed amendment would provide emergency supplemental funding to reimburse the National Guard and Capitol Police for their missions of securing the U.S. Capitol and surrounding grounds. Without these warranted funds, both organizations will be forced to cancel critical trainings and face dire impacts to their readiness and operations.  Watch Rep. Womack’s speech advocating for America’s citizen soldiers and Capitol Police here. MTR provisions include:
Transcript of delivered remarks: “Mr. Speaker, I offer this Motion to Recommit for one simple reason. “So our defenders — the National Guard and the Capitol Police — can have the funding they need to continue protecting Americans, day in and day out. “This motion does what Congress has been unable to do for months – and that is, support our Guardsmen and our Capitol Police. “Each and every one of these brave men and women have voluntarily raised their hands and swore an oath to protect our institution and our country. “And we can’t do our most basic duty of providing funding for them to complete this sacred task. “For both the Guard and the Capitol Police, this funding is essential to maintaining operations. We’re talking about something as basic as ‘keeping the lights on.’ “These gaps were caused by the Capitol Security Mission. “They came here to protect us. “And it should be this Congress, through the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill, who foots the bill. “Without this funding, the National Guard will be forced to cancel annual training and drill weekends through the end of the fiscal year. “They’ll have to defer 75 armory and training site upgrades. “The Air National Guard will see an 8-flying day stand down, and there is much, much more. “This imperils unit readiness — that’s obvious — it’s also a pretty grave outcome. But individual soldiers and airmen — and their families — will see the dire impacts as well. “These training cancellations will take an expected check out of their monthly budgets. And, unlike Congress, these families have to operate within their means. There is no option for them to raise their debt ceiling. “These Guardsmen and women are in your states, in your districts, and in your hometowns. They volunteered to serve our country, and they did so with only a single expectation in mind: that Congress will have their backs. “We need to live up to that commitment – just as they have for us. “My MTR will also ensure the Capitol Police have the resources they need after their valiant efforts on January 6th, and in the days since. It also provides targeted, necessary funding to enhance the physical security of the Capitol. “Without this funding, they too will see training delays and furloughs. “Like the National Guard, the Capitol Police are ‘Always Ready, and Always There.’ “They stand watch for us whenever we need them. “Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged by the progress Senators Leahy and Shelby have made. I hope we vote on their supplemental before we leave for the week. “But let me be crystal clear, this should have been accomplished the day after we learned of the Guard and Capitol Police budget shortfalls. “Instead, we have let silly partisan games and unrelated provisions leave our defenders high and dry. “So, to my colleagues, when you come to the floor later to vote on this MTR, and you put your voting card in the machine, I want you to think about the Guardsman in your hometown. The cop, the teacher, the small businessman who put on the uniform to defend us and protect us at home and abroad. “I want you to think about that person and commit to supporting them and to supporting their family. “I urge adoption of my motion to recommit, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back the balance of my time.” Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee. ### |