Search

Bill Would Up Annual Student-Loan Repayment Amounts

New bipartisan legislation introduced last week would enable National Guardsmen and Reservists to reach their maximum student-loan repayment benefit in a single six-year enlistment. Currently, it takes seven years to accumulate the full amount. As a... Read More Details

June 2020 Update

The NGAUS legislative staff continues to be in consistent communication with the Trump administration to ensure sustained support for state-led National Guard COVID-19 response. Additionally, the legislative staff continues to engage Congressional... Read More Details

Guard Protected Protesters’ Rights, SECDEF Tells Congress

Defense Secretary Mark Esper told the House Armed Services Committee last week that National Guardsmen protected Americans' right to freely assemble peaceably in the wake of some violent protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a... Read More Details

JCS Chairman: Confederate Symbols Require ‘Hard Look’

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a case last week for changing the names of bases honoring Confederate generals. The military’s top officer told the House Armed Services Committee that Confederate leaders were... Read More Details

Army Follows Guard, Changes Way to Recover Lost Property

The procedure to recover lost or damaged property is now digital Army-wide, thanks to an innovation by the Minnesota Army National Guard to improve its stewardship of property. “We are moving from a 1977 Pontiac to a 2020 Ford,” says Col. Joe Ricker... Read More Details

Legislation Would Expand Access to VA Home Loans

Lawmakers in both parties and both chambers have teamed up on legislation that would credit service under federal Title 32 toward eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs home loans. Currently, National Guardsmen are only eligible for the VA... Read More Details

Majority of States Ask for T32 Extension for COVID-19 Missions

At least 35 states and territories have asked the White House to extend the authority to use the National Guard under federal Title 32 for COVID-19 missions beyond the current Aug. 21 deadline. The authority under section 502(f) of federal Title 32... Read More Details

Legislators Look to Boost Guard Benefits

A bipartisan group of lawmakers have proposed a bill that would provide in-demand skills training and employment assistance to members of the Guard who are within 180 days of transitioning into civilian life. The legislation was introduced this month... Read More Details

House Committee Approves Defense Spending Bill

The House Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal 2021 defense spending bill last week, passing the measure on a party-line vote of 30 to 22. The Democrat-controlled committee would provide $694.6 billion for the Defense Department, an increase... Read More Details

Senate Confirms New National Guard Bureau Chief

Army Lt. Gen. Daniel Hokanson was confirmed Monday as the 29th chief of the National Guard Bureau by the Senate. Hokanson, who will also be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be promoted to four-star general, the highest-ranking officer in... Read More Details