According to U.S Defense officials, a few thousand National Guard troops could end up staying in D.C until March. 26,000 Guardsmen providing support from 50 states had been deployed to Washington D.C for the inauguration of Joe Biden after a riot at the Capitol building earlier this month, resulting in one of the most heavily guarded swearing-in the United States has ever seen.
While the ceremony only resulted in a few minor arrests, most of the Guards were removed from their posts and sent to hole up in a cold, fumes-filled parking garage. Pictures went viral of National Guard troops sleeping on marble floors and cramped up in parking garages for break time between allotted shifts.
Numerous elected officials, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, lashed out at Congress for keeping troops longer than they needed. Gov. DeSantis claimed that the troops were “not Nancy Pelosi’s servants” and that this was a “half-cocked mission.” He ordered the 600 National Guard troops to return home since the inauguration was complete.
Texas Gov. Abbott and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu also called their National Guard home after seeing reports that some members were told to take their rest breaks in a parking garage and sleep on the floor. “This is a half-cocked mission at this point and I think the appropriate thing is to bring them home,” said Gov. Abbott.
Some guard members mentioned that they felt completely betrayed by senators and congressmen. One moment they were shaking their hands and taking photos and the next moment they were banishing then to a corner of a parking garage. Nearly 200 Guardsmen contracted the COVID-19 virus after enduring cramped rest areas and close working quarters. They were told to disregard quarantine or cut it short leading up to the “urgent need for troops.”
While close to 15,000 troops were sent home after the inauguration, the National Guard issued a statement requesting that 7,000 troops would remain in Washington through the end of the month. Federal and city authorities have talked about keeping the troops longer with concern that protesters might return to Washington on the original presidential inauguration date, March 4.
“As we continue to work to meet the final post-inauguration requirements, the National Guard has been requested to continue supporting federal law enforcement agencies with 7,000 members and will draw down to 5,000 through mid-March. We are providing assistance such as security, communications, medical evacuation, logistics, and safety support to state, district, and federal agencies.” The National Guard said in a statement.
As Congress members pack Washington D.C with thousands of troops to protect themselves, you’ve got to wonder what happened to all of the social distancing standards since we are still in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. These are the same “backed by science” social distancing standards that the radical left used to justify killing thousands of small businesses. All of that science and evidence went out the door when a little security was needed.
