WASHINGTON, DC] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), today wrote to Donald Trump expressing concern that his order to extend National Guard Title 32 authority for only 89 days in response to COVID-19 precludes troops from qualifying for additional federal benefits they would normally be granted if Title 32 was extended for 90 days or more. In their letter, the Senators urge the President to fulfill the original request of extending Title 32 orders through June 30, 2020, thus ensuring National Guard personnel are provided access to the full benefits. The middle of a national public health crisis is not the time to cut corners on providing for those bravely serving on the frontlines.
In part, the Senators wrote: “Activated troops serving on the front lines of this pandemic should be focused solely on the response to this national Public Health Emergency (PHE) and not on the status of their Federal benefits. The Federal Government should do more to ensure these public servants are properly taken care of and not exposed to unnecessary ambiguity.”
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In April, Duckworth, Blumenthal and Shaheen wrote to Trump requesting that the Administration extend the Title 32 authority for all National Guard troops activated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for at least 180 days and continue covering 100 percent of the costs of this activation.
