National Guardsmen banished to garage allowed back in Capitol after Congress unites in rage
by Mike Brest, Breaking News Reporter |
| January 22, 2021 08:54 AM
Congress joined in a united front on President Biden's first full day in office. All it took was a controversy involving thousands of National Guardsmen being relegated during their breaks to a parking garage.
Lawmakers across the political spectrum reacted with outrage as reports Thursday evening came in about the soldiers being forced to vacate congressional grounds after spending two weeks protecting Washington, D.C., following a deadly riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6. At this point, with Biden's inauguration days behind the nation's Capital, 15,000 National Guard members are preparing to leave and head home, while just 10,600 remain on duty, according to the Associated Press.
Sens. Tammy Duckworth, a veteran and double amputee representing Illinois, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced that the troops were allowed back inside the Capitol complex around midnight.
The backlash began with a Politico report that detailed how troops were told they could no longer spend their breaks at the Capitol complex. Several lawmakers offered their offices to the soldiers as a place for them to use.
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