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.
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.
Among them was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “Yeah this is not okay,” the New York Democrat said.
Update: looks like they’re letting them back into the Capitol. The offer on snacks, etc still stands!
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 22, 2021
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, demanded an explanation from Democratic leadership.
“Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer — why are American troops who are tasked with keeping security at the Capitol being forced to sleep in a parking lot? They deserve to be treated with respect, and we deserve answers,” the California Republican tweeted.
Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer—why are American troops who are tasked with keeping security at the Capitol being forced to sleep in a parking lot?
They deserve to be treated with respect, and we deserve answers. pic.twitter.com/J0R2dRC8bM
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) January 22, 2021
“The United States Capitol Police immensely appreciates the integral support of the U.S. National Guard in helping to secure the Capitol Complex leading up to, and including the Inaugural ceremony. The Department is grateful for their service and our strong partnership during this time,” U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“The Department’s request for National Guard assistance included a specific number of personnel to allow the National Guard to provide, at a minimum, 12 hours of off-campus rest time for the troops, and understood that this would be carried out throughout their deployment,” she continued. “Recently, the Department requested that the troops’ schedules be changed so they work no more than 8-hour shifts to allow for more off-campus rest time post-Inauguration.”
Malecki also noted that troops’ schedules are being reviewed and can be “adjusted.”
Breitbart News reported that Rep. Will Keating, a Democrat, confronted a soldier for not wearing a mask and reported the soldier to the Capitol building authorities, but the congressman denied that allegation in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“Leave it to Breitbart to concoct such a baseless story that’s been directly refuted by the National Guard,” he said. “Yesterday, I was with a large number of people in a coffee shop in the House, some of whom weren’t wearing masks. I commented, to no one in particular, that this has the ingredients of a superspreader event and we should all keep our masks on. A member of the National Guard chose to loudly refuse. That is the totality of what took place. Over 400,000 people have already died in this country, roughly 4,000 a day, due to COVID, and if I were in the same situation today, I would say the exact same thing. We all need to do our part, no matter who we are or what we do.”
The congressman’s office also passed along a statement from the Massachusetts National Guard to the Washington Examiner.
“It makes no sense and quite frankly could not be farther from the truth,” said Maj. Gen. Gary Keefe.
Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said in a statement that the Capitol Police “did not instruct the National Guard to vacate the Capitol Building facilities,” but noted that there were specific exceptions on Inauguration Day.
She also said that, “Facility management with the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Office Building reached out directly to the National Guard to offer use of its facilities,” and as of Friday morning, “all Guardsmen and women have been relocated to space within the Capitol Complex.“
Army Brig. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, commander of the inauguration task force, said that troops will be permitted to take their breaks near Emancipation Hall instead of in neighboring parking structures moving forward.
Offering an explanation for the move to the Capitol-area parking garage, Guard spokesman Maj. Matt Murphy said they were asked to move their rest area because of increased foot traffic with Congress being in session.
“As Congress is in session and increased foot traffic and business is being conducted, Capitol Police asked the troops to move their rest area,” Murphy said. “They were temporarily relocated to the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center garage with heat and restroom facilities. We remain an agile and flexible force to provide for the safety and security of the Capitol and its surrounding areas.”
One National Guard member told Politico that the troops felt “incredibly betrayed,” before they were allowed back into the Capitol complex.
“Yesterday, dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands, and thanking us for our service,” a guard member said. “Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage. We feel incredibly betrayed.”
Approximately 20,000 National Guardsmen were brought into the nation’s capital ahead of Biden’s inauguration amid heightened threats of violence following the rioting that occurred at the Capitol two weeks earlier as Congress sought to certify the former vice president’s electoral victory. Five people, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer, died because of that attack.
With Inauguration Day passing without any significant violent clashes, the National Guard Bureau is working to help states with preparations and logistics to help return soldiers home, according to the Military Times. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the troops from his state home on Friday morning. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did the same hours earlier.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The statements from the congressman and the Massachusetts National Guard were added after publication.
