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Senators said they received no clear indication of when the National Guard mission at the Capitol would end during a briefing last week.
The briefing, held by Zoom call, came after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the previous week that there had been no request to keep Guard troops at the U.S. Capitol beyond mid-March.
Senators also received no indication of when fencing around the grounds would be removed, according to The Hill.
Multiple Republicans have called into question the continued deployment of Guard soldiers and airmen.
About 5,000 Guardsmen remain in Washington, D.C., down from the mission’s peak of more than 26,000 Guardsmen, representing all 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia.
Last month, Austin indicated March 12 was the end of the mission, but said that could change if a federal agency asks for support.
In last week’s call, officials told senators the timeline depends on conditions, but declined to disclose any timing guidance for when troops could be sent home.
Several states have already pulled their Guardsmen home, including some who have questioned the appropriate legal authority to justify the ongoing mission.
“There’s got to be an end to this thing,” said Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to The Hill. “And I haven’t heard anything in the presentation that leads me to believe there’s going to be an end, or that there’s really justification. That’s not the Guard’s function. That’s not what they do for a living. And they can’t continue to do that."
