July 28, 2021- 8:56 p.m.
Tester presses the case for National Guard reimbursement.
Nearly seven months after a violent insurrection rocked the U.S. Capitol, Democratic Sen. Jon Tester took to the Senate floor Wednesday urging fellow lawmakers to promptly reimburse the National Guard for responding to what he called “the darkest day for Congress in more than 200 years.”
The insurrection that triggered the deployment was led by supporters of former President Donald Trump, who clashed with Capitol police and vandalized Capitol property on Jan. 6 as Congress was certifying the 2020 election results.
His speech echoed a growing bipartisan chorus of voices in the U.S. House and Senate calling for legislation to cover the costs of a five-month deployment sparked by the insurrection, which National Guard officials have estimated at $521 million.
“Americans in uniform that day stepped up to protect Congress,” Tester said. “The officers of the Capitol police and other law enforcement agencies literally put their lives on the line to protect senators, congressmen, and to protect our Constitution.
National Guard officials have cautioned that without congressional assistance to fill those budget gaps, the readiness of guardsmen across the country could be at rise.
The Nebraska National Guard has already canceled six events including a marksmanship exercise in an effort to conserve money.
Tester, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said in his Wednesday speech that the $2.1 billion allocation containing the National Guard reimbursement also includes funding for the Capitol Police to help avoid potential furloughs and money to assist Afghan refugees who aided National Guard troops in Afghanistan.
The Senate has yet to take action on the proposal, but a spokesperson for Tester’s office said a vote could happen by the end of the week.
“If Congress does not pass the Capital Response Bill prior to Aug. 2,” Dorvall added, “the Montana National Guard could see an impact for the next fiscal year.”
