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After spending days in the cold securing the U.S. Capitol after the death siege two weeks ago, Citizen Members of the National Guard were urged to leave the Capitol building and move to a nearby parking lot to rest during their shifts. The move drew swift condemnation from lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called the move “scandalous.”
Several insisted that it be reversed. And that was, Thursday night.
The guard issued a statement saying: “Brigadier General Janeen Birckhead, Inauguration Task Force Commander, confirms that the troops have exited the garage and returned to the Capitol building as authorized by the USCP commander ( United States Capitol Police) their breaks near Emancipation Hall. ”
One of the lawmakers who voiced his outrage, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, tweeted: “Update: The troops are now all out of the garage. Now I can go to bed.”
At around 3 p.m. on Thursday, Capitol Police asked the National Guard to move soldiers who were using the Capitol halls and open space to rest during their shifts, the Guard Bureau spokesperson said. National, Major Matt Murphy, to CBS News.
“As Congress is in session and foot traffic and business is on the rise, Capitol Police have asked troops to relocate their staging area,” Murphy said. “They were temporarily moved to the garage at the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center with heating and toilets.”
About 3,500 National Guard members were moved out of Capitol Hill, but not all were in the garage at the same time. During their on-call shifts, members are taken to the garage to warm up and take a break, and they have hotel rooms to sleep in after their shift is over.
Some guards expressed their displeasure at seeing their rest area moved to a parking lot. Although the garage is heated and lighted, there are only a few restrooms and limited cell phone and internet service and power outlets.
U.S. Capitol Police confirmed on Friday that they would investigate the matter.
Politico first reported the move, and lawmakers criticized it.
“It is outrageous, shameful and incredibly disrespectful to the men and women who keep the US Capitol safe,” said Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona. “We need to fix it and we need answers on how it went.”
South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott also took to Twitter:
Duckworth called this “unreal”, adding that she could not “believe that the same brave service members we have asked to protect our Capitol and our Constitution for the past two weeks would be unceremoniously ordered to leave the building. I demand answers as soon as possible. They can use my office. ”
Murphy told CBS News, “They must have gone somewhere, as I understand it. There will always be ruffled feathers, some people are not going to like it. The troops keep going. Do it.”
Capitol Police said in a statement Thursday evening that the department “greatly appreciates the full support of the US National Guard to help secure the Capitol complex prior to and including the inaugural ceremony.”
The ministry said it had recently asked that the shifts of members of the guard be shortened to allow more off-campus rest time.
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