Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) announced Wednesday he has requested a briefing from the Army on why thousands of National Guard troops will remain in Washington, DC, through mid-March.
“The National Guard should only be used as a last resort. They are citizen-soldiers, not props,” he tweeted.”That’s why I’m requesting a briefing on the ongoing threats facing our Capitol & the reasoning behind keeping at least 5,000 troops in DC through mid-March.”
Waltz is a Green Beret and colonel in the National Guard.
Army leaders on Monday said 5,000 National Guard troops would remain in Washington through mid-March at the request of Capitol Police. They did not clarify why, but said they simply fulfill requests by federal and local law enforcement agencies.
After more than 100 pro-Trump supporters broke into the Capitol building on January 6, the Pentagon authorized 7,000 National Guard members to assist federal and local law enforcement.
The troop presence was then beefed up to more than 26,000 National Guard members for the inauguration of President Joe Biden — more than the number of National Guard helping with the coronavirus response around the country.
In the lead up to the inauguration, thousands of National Guard members were forced to sleep on the floors in the Capitol building, prompting Waltz and other members of Congress to buy them pizza and offer their offices to sleep in.
After hundreds of National Guard members were forced out of the Capitol building grounds to take their breaks in a parking garage a day after the inauguration, Republican governors expressed outrage and announced they were recalling their troops back home.
Troops had come from all 50 states, three U.S. territories, and D.C. to support the inauguration.
The National Guard has since announced the number of troops would be reduced from more than 26,000 to 7,000 by the end of January, and later to 5,000 by mid-March.
Waltz, along with 10 other Republican members of Congress, signed the letter to the Army requesting the briefing.
“Our intention is for the briefing to cover the ongoing threats to the Capitol, justification of the decision for a significant troop presence through mid-March, and plans for troop utilization during the time period,” the letter said.
“As you know better than anyone, our National Guard men and women are deployed on short notice and pulled away from their families and jobs. Further the Guard has endured unprecedented stress on the force in the past year given COVID-19, social unrest, natural disasters, and ongoing overseas requirements,” it said.
“The National Guard should be used as an option of absolute last resort. We are seeking clarification and justification on behalf of the National Guard men and women that have kept us safe over the past month and year,” it said.
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