WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, Gary Peters, D-Michigan, were among those introducing legislation that would provide full time benefits to National Guard members throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
The National Guard COVID-19 Response Stability Act was introduced by Stabenow, Peters and others on Friday, May 22.
The legislation would require the federal government to extend Title 32 authority for National Guard members, meaning the federal government would cover costs of the deployment during the pandemic. It would also keep National Guard members deployed until the end of the public health crisis.
Currently, 991 National Guardsmen are deployed in Michigan.
Politico reported National Guard members who were deployed to respond to the pandemic in late March would see their deployments end on June 24, leaving them one day short of the time needed to receive federal coverage of full retirement and education benefits made available under the GI Bill.
In addition to members missing out on benefits, states would lose frontline responders during the pandemic.
“National Guard personnel in Michigan are playing a critical role in supporting COVID-19 response efforts and have disrupted their lives and risked exposing themselves to the virus,” Peters said in a statement. “It’s outrageous the administration may prematurely end their mobilizations in an effort to deny them benefits.”
Stabenow also criticized President Donald Trump’s administration for the measure.
“Nearly 1,000 Michigan National Guard members responding to the COVID-19 crisis will be denied benefits because this administration is ending their mobilization prematurely,” she said in a statement. “These men and women have stood on the front lines of this crisis and put their lives on the line and we need to stand by them.”
The bill would extend Title 32 authority until the end of the state of emergency declared by Trump in response to the coronavirus pandemic, with an additional 30 days for the National Guard to phase Title 32 operations down.