National Guard warns readiness could suffer if cost of protecting Capitol following rioting isn't reimbursed

The National Guard is warning that its readiness and future training will be at risk if the $521 million cost of the mission to protect the Capitol after the January 6 rioting isn't reimbursed.

"Without reimbursement funding, there is significant impact on National Guard readiness if we're not able to resolve this in a timely manner," Army General Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau said in a statement. Approximately 26,000 National Guard troops were sent to Washington, D.C., for President Biden's inauguration as a precaution following the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The number dropped to around 5,000 in March, but at the request of the U.S. Capitol Police, the Guard extended its mission and kept roughly 2,200 service members through mid-May, finally wrapping up May 23.