Trump extends National Guard deployments for coronavirus

The Hawaii National Guard said it is reviewing its deployment of 1,200 troops to help with coronavirus duty after President Donald Trump tweeted today that he will extend federal duty for about 40,000 citizen-soldiers nationwide.

“The men and women of the National Guard have been doing a great job fighting the CoronaVirus,” Trump tweeted. “This week, I will extend their Title 32 orders through mid-August, so they can continue to help States succeed in their response and recovery efforts.”

The Hawaii National Guard has already started to draw down some of its 1,200 troops based on a Pentagon directive to start doing so to meet what had been a previously planned June 24 end of federal duty across the country.

The men and women of the National Guard have been doing a great job fighting the CoronaVirus. This week, I will extend their Title 32 orders through mid-August, so they can continue to help States succeed in their response and recovery efforts.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2020

The plan was to drop to 800 Hawaii troops on federal Title 32 duty from 1,200 by early next week, officials said.

The Hawaii National Guard said it is now looking at what would be the best number to keep on coronavirus duty.

“The Guard is taking into consideration the possible extension until August and is making plans to make sure that we’re able to conduct all the missions that the counties are asking us to perform,” said spokesman Jeff Hickman.

Nearly 46,000 Guard personnel are serving in COVID-19 missions with the vast majority on Title 32 orders that provide federal funds while keeping troops under the command and control of their states, according to the National Guard Association of the United States.

“Mr. President, thank you for giving the men and women of the National Guard the added time they need on the COVID-19 front lines to complete their missions,” retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, president of the Guard advocacy group, said in a release following Trump’s tweet.

The drop in Hawaii National Guard troops to 800 was part of a Pentagon “right-sizing” drawdown ahead of the end of the federally-funded coronavirus mission on June 24, officials said.

The move came as the Pentagon takes steps toward what it called “returning to normal operations,” but as lawmakers around the country raised concern over ongoing coronavirus security needs.

Nearly 80 members of Congress — including U.S. Rep. Ed Case of Hawaii — signed onto a May 20 letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper noting a previous extension of the federal National Guard duty and asking for another one.

“By now nearly every state, territory and the District of Columbia has federally funded soldiers and airmen in the fight against COVID-19,” the letter states. “Unfortunately, however, the (Defense Department’s) extension runs only until June 24, 2020. We urge you to consult with our governors and extend the (federal) authorizations for the duration of the president’s emergency and disaster declarations.”

Gov. David Ige’s office sent a letter to Trump almost a month ago requesting a continuance of federal duty for the Hawaii National Guard through July 31, but had not received a response as of Tuesday.

The governor’s office said the extension “is necessary in order for the Hawaii National Guard to continue providing critical support, including airport and community screenings, and to work in a variety of functions to support and protect our citizens.”

Another 125 members of Congress joined in a letter Friday to Trump, Esper and the Federal Emergency Management Agency saying the National Guard “has been critical in executing the nation’s pandemic response efforts.”

The letter, with participation by Case and fellow U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, all Hawaii Democrats, asked that you “consider keeping all National Guard service members supporting the COVID-19 mission on (federal) status rather than transitioning to state active duty orders.”

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, meanwhile, is a co-sponsor with fellow Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois on the National Guard COVID-19 Response Stability Act.

The legislation would extend Title 32 authority for all troops activated in response to the crisis until the end of the public health emergency.

Some Hawaii Guard soldiers were mobilized on state active duty, which differs from federal duty, in late March. The majority of the 1,200 soldiers went on Title 32 federal duty, pay and benefits — while still reporting to the governor — on April 3, and the remainder followed within several weeks.

The National Conference of State Legislators said the tab can run as much as $9 million per month per 1,000 troops mobilized.

Without federal Title 32 authority, many states would decline to extend Guard deployments under state active duty due to a lack of available funding, the National Guard Association said. Over 1,000 Guard personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, the group said.