National Guard soldiers carrying shields cross the street during Biden‘s presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2021.
The day after Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, thousands of National Guard soldiers stationed at the Capitol were whisked away to spend the night in a freezing garage, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) pledged at the Time that “it won’t happen again. However, the same thing happened again this week.
On Tuesday morning (9), Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert tweeted two photos showing some National Guard soldiers suspected of spending the night in a parking garage, where most of the soldiers were sitting on the ground.
Boebert also posted a question to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), “Why, nearly three weeks after the initial outrage, are our National Guard troops still being allowed to rest and sleep in a freezing cold garage?”
In the post, Bobert hinted that the photos were taken the night before. She exclaimed, “This has to stop, now!”
(Screenshot of Twitter page)
Bobert, a U.S. Representative from Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, is known for her public support of gun ownership and is a strong supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
In fact, as early as the day after Biden was sworn in as president (Jan. 21), there was an incident in which National Guard soldiers were forced to spend the night in a freezing cold parking lot. At that time, 5,000 soldiers who were resting in the Senate office building were suddenly asked to leave the Capitol and spend the night in a nearby parking lot.
According to the U.S. magazine “Politico” (Politico) reported on January 21, thousands of soldiers rested in the parking lot without Internet access, only a power outlet, a bathroom with two toilets, and the temperature at night in Washington can be as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. One soldier interviewed by the media said that dozens of other members of Congress had gone to take pictures with them, shake their hands and thank them for their service the day before, but 24 hours later they were banished to the corner of the parking lot. We feel incredibly exploited”, he said.
The incident, which came to light on online social media platforms, sparked a great deal of public outcry and condemnation, and the soldiers in the parking lot were eventually able to return to rest inside the Capitol. At the time, Senate Democratic leader Schumer said publicly that the situation was “totally unacceptable”. He also vowed, “I have told the soldiers policing the Capitol that this will not happen again. I promise every member of the National Guard that this will not happen again.
Immediately after the incident, the governors of Texas, Florida and New Hampshire announced the withdrawal of their state National Guard units stationed in Washington, D.C.
Since the riots at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 25,000 National Guard troops had flocked to Washington from across the United States to prevent violence during Biden’s inauguration. Although there have been no specific threatening incidents in Washington, the Biden Administration decided to keep 5,000 National Guard soldiers in the capital until March 15.
Recent Comments