May 24, 2007

Today, Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), along with Reps. Diana DeGette (CO-01), Yvette Clarke (NY-11), Paul Hodes (NH-02), Chris Murphy (CT-05) and Betty Sutton (OH-13), introduced legislation calling for the redeployment of the National Guard and their essential equipment from Iraq within 90 days of enactment in order to protect our communities here at home.

Under the Constitution, the role of the National Guard is to protect the public from invasion or insurrection, and also engage in foreign combat when required by the President. Over the years, the definition of insurrection and domestic violence has been construed to entail responses to natural disaster or terrorist attacks.

"The National Guard is critical to our nation’s ability to respond to terrorist attacks and natural disasters, and our Guardsmen and women are needed here at home," said U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter. "This bill is a responsible plan to ensure that our nation is as fully prepared as possible to deal with natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks."

"While our armed forces are committed to overseas operations, it is imperative that the National Guard be able to protect communities here at home," said U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO). "The National Guard is critical to restoring peace and order in times of natural disaster, domestic violence, or foreign attack. With many of our Guard forces tied to our failed policy in Iraq, it is nearly impossible for the National Guard to carry out its mission at home."

"Every day, the brave women and men of the National Guard play an important role in the lives of New Yorkers by protecting our city’s bridges and tunnels," stated U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke. "This Administration is robbing New York of its Guards. In fact, less than half of its equipment remains in New York. This is why I am supporting this bill to immediately remove our National Guard troops from overseas, ensuring that they will be prepared to help when disaster occurs here at home."

"America needs the National Guard at home," U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes said. "We are not immune to natural or man-made disasters on our home ground, and the National Guard plays a vital role in our emergency response. They have volunteered to protect and defend us at home, and the U.S. government should keep up its end of the bargain and bring them back from Iraq."

"Currently, approximately 1,100 Ohio National Guard soldiers are deployed overseas, including nearly 500 in Iraq. Over the past several years, a total of 5,500 Ohio National Guard soldiers have served in Iraq and another 1,000 in Kuwait. These men and women have served our nation honorably, but our National Guard has been stretched thin and left without sufficient numbers and often with obsolete equipment here at home. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to properly train for or respond as effectively to natural disasters. While the President seems content to keep our brave troops in the middle of a sectarian civil war in Iraq, Congress must take steps now to bring our National Guard home to ensure proper protection of our homeland," said Rep. Sutton.

Perlmutter and Clarke, who sit on the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight, discussed this critical issue today in the Committee’s hearing examining the National Guard’s readiness and equipping levels to respond to domestic emergencies in light of the Guard’s repeated and extended deployment overseas. The hearing was part of the Committee’s examination of the nation’s homeland defense capabilities and the coordination among civilian and military agencies.

According to the latest research available from the Congressional Research Service, there are 144,202 US troops currently serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Of those, 15,911 are National Guardsmen, representing 11% of the total force. However these figures do not include the 13,000 additional Guardsmen the President has mobilized for the surge. The congressionally-mandated Commission on National Guard and Reserve (CNGR) recently stated that the Guard’s role as an operational force in Iraq is not sustainable. Moreover, this report found that 88% of National Guard units are under-equipped for their domestic missions.

"These policies have had a chilling effect on all military components, particularly the Guard. Their equipment is in Iraq getting damaged, often beyond repair, and the general policy that the Army will replace their equipment has been suspended," Perlmutter stated. "For training purposes, this is highly detrimental, and even more evident and worrisome is the impact of equipment shortage on natural disaster relief."

"Each state should have a fully-trained, fully-equipped, and fully-ready National Guard to adequately respond to any disaster," commented Perlmutter. " This President’s handling of the War in Iraq has been a disaster, but we should not let his failed policy in Iraq become a failed policy in homeland defense. It is time to bring our National Guard home."