Ahead of trucker convoy protests, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approves request for National Guardsmen for Washington
ABC News
About 700 National Guard members will aid Washington as at least three separate trucker convoys arrive to protest.
The National Guard Bureau said on Tuesday night that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved requests for 700 National Guard members to aid Washington ahead of the arrival of at least three separate trucker convoys.
Those convoys plan to head to the Washington area to potentially disrupt traffic beginning Wednesday.
About 400 members of the D.C. National Guard and 300 members from outside of the district will support traffic control. None will carry firearms "or take part in law enforcement or domestic-surveillance activities," according to the National Guard Bureau.
Trucker convoy protests are expected to continue through early March, before and after Biden's first State of the Union address on March 1.
