Jul 24, 2021 - Politics & Policy

National Guard cutting costs due to funding impasse in Congress

Erin Doherty

National Guard troops make their way to buses outside the D.C. Armory after ending their mission in Washington on Monday, May 24, 2021. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The Nebraska National Guard has started to cancel training events because Congress has not reimbursed the National Guard Bureau for $521 million spent on securing the Capitol following the Jan. 6 riot, CNN reports.

The big picture: Efforts to scale back costs will likely spread to additional states as Congress is stuck in a funding impasse, per CNN.

"If funding isn't sorted by the first of August, this list will grow," National Guard Bureau spokesman Wayne Hall told CNN.
"The Illinois National Guard may be required to cancel August and September, cancel upcoming annual training events, furlough over one thousand federal civilian employees..." Maj. Gen. Richard Neely, the Illinois Adjutant General, said at a media roundtable, per CNN.

Driving the news: The Senate Appropriations Committee has been negotiating a funding package that would include funding for the National Guard, which follows a $2 billion security package passed by the House earlier this year, per CNN.

"We have not reached an agreement yet, but I think we're really close," Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama said Thursday, per CNN.

Of note: The Capitol Police is also experiencing a funding crunch.

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National Guard cutting costs due to funding impasse in Congress

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