President Trump ended a controversy he began when he signed a presidential memorandum May 8 that extended National Guard federal deployments in the COVID-19 response to June 24, one day before many Guard members would become eligible for education and retirement benefits.
“The men and women of the National Guard have been doing a great job fighting the CoronaVirus,” the president wrote on Twitter Thursday. “This week, I will extend their Title 32 orders through mid-August, so they can continue to help States succeed in their response and recovery efforts.”
The presidential extension of the federal, or Title 32, status of the National Guard means the Guard members who were activated federally in the earliest coronavirus-stricken states will reach the threshold of 90 days of deployment and become eligible for post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits, early retirement, and continued TRICARE healthcare.
The president sparked controversy and harsh criticism from the National Guard Association and others when his presidential memorandum chose to end the federally funded coronavirus response mission on a Wednesday, day 89 for many Guard members.
In the intervening weeks, the Congress introduced legislation to guarantee healthcare for Guard members, and 42 governors requested that the president extend the title 32 status, which allows governors to use the Guard while the federal government foots the bill.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday that he supported the extension of the Guard’s federal status as long as the Federal Emergency Management Agency deemed its mission essential.
“If they are on a valid mission assignment approved by FEMA, then we should certainly extend them,” Esper said at a Pentagon virtual town hall for service members and Defense Department employees. “The mission assignment will dictate how long that takes, as far as I’m concerned, until a mission is accomplished.”
More than 45,000 National Guard members have been activated in all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia as part of the government’s COVID-19 response.
