D.C. National Guard officials hope legislation before Congress that would provide D.C. Guard members with up to $5,500 a year in federally funded college aid will allow the Washington branch to compete in recruiting with its suburban neighbors.

Maryland and Virginia have drawn recruits from D.C. “at a rate that puts at risk the maintenance of the necessary force levels,” said D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who introduced the bill. The District’s neighbors offer state-funded education benefits in addition to an existing federal program, to which D.C. Guard members also have access.