Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-FL) tweeted earlier this week that members of the National Guard are still having to take their breaks in a parking garage, and asked why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is allowing it.
She sounded the alarm on Tuesday morning in a tweet:
Why is it that nearly 3 weeks after the initial outrage, Nancy Pelosi is still having our National Guard troops take their breaks & sleeping in freezing cold garages?
These photos were taken last night!
This needs to stop NOW!
Boebert tweeted out two photos of National Guard members relaxing in a parking garage. In one photo, two troops relax on some of the cots placed in the garage. In another photo, about a half dozen troops are seen sitting on cots and chairs, with others standing or walking.
Boebert’s office told Breitbart News in an email response Wednesday that the photos were taken in the House underground garage on Monday evening.
Boebert said in a statement that troops were running out of food and being made to rest in cold garages.
“The disrespect that Speaker Pelosi has shown to our National Guard is sickening. With the background checks, running out of food, and making them rest in cold garages, Speaker Pelosi has continued to show total disrespect for our men and women in uniform,” she said in a statement.
The Capitol building complex is home to cafeterias and cafes, but they close when members of Congress finish business for the day.
A National Guard spokesperson said troops are not sleeping in the garages overnight and that what Boebert’s office saw were National Guard members taking breaks during “quick reaction force” exercises and drills to maintain their readiness.
National Guard members taking breaks in parking garages on the complex created huge controversy for Democrats early into the Biden administration, after more than 26,000 troops were called to Washington, D.C., to provide security for the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, and just a day after, dozens of troops were photographed sleeping on garage floors near the Senate side.
One National Guard source told Breitbart News that a Capitol building official asked troops to take their breaks in the garage instead of inside the Capitol building complex. It is not clear what sparked that alleged request.
After numerous complaints, National Guard members were reportedly allowed back inside the Capitol building complex to take their breaks. It is also unclear why they are still taking breaks outside in a garage.
The Pentagon first authorized about 7,000 National Guard troops after pro-Trump supporters engaged in violence and breached the Capitol building on January 6. Federal and local authorities requested 19,000 more troops for the inauguration.
That number was reduced to 7,000 at the end of January, and are slated to go down to 5,000 by mid-March. Army officials briefed reporters that the request for 5,000 troops through mid-March was made by the Capitol Police.
Republican lawmakers Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), an Army veteran, and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL), a Green Beret and National Guard colonel, have demanded to know why troops are needed through mid-March.
The Pentagon last week revealed that the cost for the National Guard support through mid-March will be an estimated $483 million.
It is not yet clear if the mission will end in mid-March or continue beyond that time.
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