then Add to Home Screen.
WASHINGTON (March 19, 2024) — The voice of more than 45,000 current and former National Guard officers is urging Congress to pass fiscal 2024 defense appropriations this week.
Retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, the NGAUS president, sent a letter today to congressional leaders urging lawmakers to pass an adequate defense spending bill by Friday to ensure the National Guard can continue to protect U.S. national security interests and modernize.
Read the letter here.
“Our nation faces many threats, both at home and abroad, which makes timely and adequate appropriations critical,” McGinn wrote. “Another continuing resolution would diminish national security and the capabilities of the armed forces by harming readiness, modernization, and quality of life programs.
“These impacts inherently harm our service members and their families,” he continued. “A CR of any type reduces the Guard’s ability to maintain interoperability and serve as the primary combat reserve of the Army and Air Force.”
Congress has yet to pass defense appropriations for fiscal 2024, which began Oct. 1, 2023.
Instead, it has relied on a series of CRs, which are stopgap budgets that fund the government at the previous year’s level with no new programs. The current defense CR expires Friday.
Reporters, Editors & Producers: Retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn is available for interviews or to appear as a subject matter expert on issues related to the National Guard. Contact John Goheen at 202-408-5882 to schedule an interview or appearance.
NGAUS: The association was created in 1878 to provide united Guard representation in Washington. In their first productive meeting after Reconstruction, militia officers from the North and South formed the association with the goal of obtaining better equipment and training by petitioning Congress for more resources. Today, 146 years later with more than 45,000 members nationwide, NGAUS has the same mission.
