ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland has yet to be reimbursed for the cost of deploying thousands of National Guard members to the U.S. Capitol for months following the events on January 6.
In a letter written to Senator Ben Cardin, Timothy E. Gowan, Major General of Maryland's Army National Guard, says the lack of reimbursement has forced the state's Military Department to make substantial cuts to their budget.
Gowan says training, maintenance, and employee payroll could be significantly impacted if reimbursement is not received by August 1.
"Without an immediate plus-up we will have to cancel most of our drill and annual training periods for the rest of the fiscal year," wrote Gowan. "In addition, we will be forced to cease most equipment and system maintenance right as we head into the height of hurricane season. Most importantly, the funding limitations will mean we cannot meet our payroll requirements for our military and civilian technician workforce."
Governor Hogan also commented on the situation via Twitter.
"Congressional leaders pleaded with us to send the National Guard to the U.S. Capitol in January, but still haven’t reimbursed expenses from the deployment."
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It's unclear how much the state is owed, but the initial response was paid for by the state's normal National Guard funding streams.
The full letter can be read below.
