Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

WASHINGTON – Congressman Dennis Cardoza (D-Merced) today joined a bipartisan group in the House and Senate in sponsoring a resolution calling on the Pentagon to fully fund the equipment needs of the National Guard and to seek consultation from Congress and Governors when planning future changes to the Guard.  Cardoza joined Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (TN) and Lincoln Davis (TN) in introducing the House version of the bill. An identical version of the bill has been introduced in the Senate.

The National Guard has a unique role in defending the nation. Guard troops have a dual responsibility to the nation and to their home states. The Department of Defense is proposing cuts in personnel levels for the Guard, which is also hindered by significant shortages in critical equipment.

“We must do a better job of ensuring that America’s National Guard units are fully equipped and prepared,’” said Cardoza. “This bill makes it clear to the Department of Defense that we expect the National Guard to receive the resources they need, and that Congress and the states should be fully consulted on changes in force structure.”

A recent General Accounting Office (GAO) report showed that, on average, National Guard units have only 34 percent of the equipment they need to be at full readiness, which could leave them vulnerable in a domestic emergency.

The resolution calls for the Department of Defense to:

• Fully fund the equipment needs of the National Guard;
• Consult with Congress and the nation’s Governors as soon as possible on any proposed changes to the National Guard force structure;
• Consider the National Guard’s role in homeland defense when considering the National Guard’s force structure;
• Create budget projections that detail cost savings from any National Guard force structure changes, as well as projected costs in the event large personnel increases are necessary to respond to a homeland defense emergency;
• Ensure Congress and our nation’s governors that potential personnel cuts will not impact the safety and security of the American people.

The resolution is supported by the National Guard Association of the United States. Also, current co-sponsors of the bipartisan resolution in the Senate include: Ken Salazar (CO), Ben Nelson (NE), Lindsey Graham (SC), George Allen (VA), Jim Talent (MO), Elizabeth Dole (NC), Olympia Snowe (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK), John Thune (SD), Johnny Isakson (GA), Mike DeWine (OH), Tim Johnson (SD), Richard Durbin (IL), Robert Menendez (NJ), Mary Landrieu (LA), Bill Nelson (FL), Tom Harkin (IA), Byron Dorgan (ND), Frank Lautenberg (NJ), Jeff Bingaman (NM), Daniel Akaka (HI), Max Baucus (MT), Hillary Clinton (NY), Herb Kohl (WI), Barbara Mikulski (AK), Evan Bayh (IN), Maria Cantwell (WA), Mark Pryor (AR), Joseph Lieberman (CT), Joseph Biden (DE), Kent Conrad (ND), Edward Kennedy (MA), Russell Feingold (WI), and Susan Collins (ME).

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