The National Governors Association (NGA) became the most recent organization to oppose a nearly $1.7 billion cut from the National Guard and Reserve.
The cut is part of a Trump administration proposal that would divert $3.8 billion in funding to the U.S.-Mexico wall border.
The budget cuts include $790 million for equipment, $169 million for a pair of C-130J Super Hercules cargo planes for the Air Guard, and $100 million for the Army National Guard’s Humvee modernization program.
Congress fully funded the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account and included funding for vehicles and aircraft. The purchase of this equipment protects both service members and makes the National Guard reliable, NGA said.
“The readiness of the National Guard is paramount to protecting the homeland,” NGA said. “Time and time again, with increasing frequency, the National Guard must answer the call to protect us from wildfires and hurricanes; flooding and landslides; and threats against our global and homeland security. Governors are united in urging the administration to reverse course on the planned reprogramming and restore these critical funds.”
The National Guard Association of the United States also recently asked the administration not to make the proposed cuts.
Congress must approve the cuts before the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1.