Military Times by Meghann Myers 7/16/2021
The National Guard is $521 million in the hole after sending thousands of troops from a dozen states to guard the Capitol complex after the Jan. 6 insurrection. If Congress doesn’t pass funding to reimburse the Guard, they’re going to have to cancel training, drill weekends and more in order to close that gap.
Canceled drill means not only no paychecks for the Guardsmen who count on them, but it will put those troops in the red, as the deductions that fund their retirement plans and health insurance come out of those paychecks.
“All these payments would fall, for two months, behind and create a significant debt,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, Illinoi’s adjutant general, told reporters on Friday.
To make itself whole, the Guard would have to start shutting down parts of its operation, using that money to pay itself back for the Capitol mission and balance its accounts through the fiscal year, which starts over Oct. 1.
That would coincide with the late summer months usually set aside for training exercises, including those in preparation for upcoming deployments.
More:
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2021/07/16/national-guard-pleads-for-congress-to-reimburse-half-a-billion-for-capitol-security-mission/
