Thirty House Democrats wrote a letter demanding the administration "stop playing political games" with National Guard resources in the fight against COVID-19.
The letter -- addressed to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf -- criticized the administration's lack of a "reliable plan" for the length of National Guard COVID-19 activations. It also demanded an explanation for the recent cut in National Guard COVID-19 activation funding.
National Guard COVID-19 orders have been repeatedly extended by President Donald Trump, generally with much ire and negotiation from the states. The orders were originally slated to end in May before Trump agreed to push them out to August 21. As August 21 approached, some governors formed an organized campaign against the Trump administration in an attempt to again extend those orders. The administration agreed to do so through December 31, 2020.
But the National Governors Association has complained that these piecemeal extensions are negatively impacting operations.
"Unnecessary delays in extending Title 32 create significant challenges for states and territories, which are amplified in the middle of a crisis," a letter from the NGA to the White House reads.
While the previous orders continued until August 21, in order to allow National Guard troops to remain on orders during the two-week quarantine period required at the end of COVID-19 operations, some states had already begun transitioning Guard troops out of COVID-19 capacities before Trump announced the most recent extension, the NGA explained. The rapid operational changes significantly hindered the Guard's fight against the virus as they had to move troops back out of quarantine and into the field once orders were extended.
"While we appreciate the new extension to December 31st, that deadline is just as arbitrary as the previous one set for August 21st," the Congressional letter to Esper reads. "Because COVID-19 doesn’t act on specific timelines, we urge you and the president to authorize Title 32 activations for as long as they’re needed, i.e., the duration of declared disasters or emergencies."
And while Trump did agree to extend COVID-19 orders through the end of 2020, the administration cut 75% of the funds for those operations. With the exception of Texas, Florida, Connecticut, California and Arizona, states must now foot 25% of the bill associated with these National Guard activations. The White House offered no explanation for why funding was cut nor why those five specific states were spared. Political preference is suspected by some.
"For months, the federal government has covered all the costs for these crucial deployments, but now the administration reverted to the statutory minimum, demanding that states contribute 25%," the letter reads. "This is not consistent with the treatment of these costs during previous disasters and undermines the overall response to the virus. We request a full explanation of the rationale behind this decision."
Representatives Cheri Bustos, D-Il., Max Rose, D-N.Y., and Deb Haaland, D-N.M., led the cohort of 30 Democratic members of the House of Representatives calling for more consistent orders and funding for National Guard troops still activated against COVID-19.
"Give the states the help they need, for as long as they need it. Do it in a consistent manner," the letter reads. "Likewise, the men and women of the National Guard who continue to make sacrifices for our public health need to be able to rely on consistent pay and healthcare coverage. There is no reason to continue playing bureaucratic and political games with either our governors or our neighbors in uniform."
In the United States, 5.75 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported. In total, 177,000 Americans have been killed by the virus. The very first service member killed by COVID-19 was Capt. Douglas Linn Hickok, a physician assistant activated with the New Jersey National Guard against COVID-19.
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Reach Elizabeth Howe on Twitter @ECBHowe.
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