Congressman urges Administration to quickly approve Guard funds
Washington, D.C. - Continuing his effort to prevent a budget shortfall from threatening the Iowa National Guard's September training exercises, Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today pushed the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to expedite approval of a reallocation of funds that would allow the Guard to hold its scheduled drills.
A high participation rate in previous training exercises this year, along with higher than expected training costs, has contributed to a $2.4 million budget shortfall in the Iowa National Guard's budget. If that shortfall is not addressed, it could jeopardize Guard drills scheduled for September. The National Guard recently submitted a reprogramming request that would allow them to transfer money between accounts, and allow the proposed drill to go forward as scheduled.
"The funds can't be allocated until the Administration sends the request to Congress, and that needs to happen as quickly as possible," Braley said. "Iowans all over our state know the tremendous sacrifice the Iowa National Guard has made to our country and they need to have the resources necessary to conduct their scheduled trainings."
Braley's letter to OMB Director Shaun Donovan urges him to quickly approve any reprogramming request made by the Guard, and send it for approval to the House Appropriations Committee so that the funds can be made available.
"The option of canceling drills is alarming and would lead to a loss of income for Guard members?many of whom rely on the income for basic necessities," Braley wrote.
Braley has been a consistent advocate for Iowa's National Guard. This year, he repeatedly fought proposed cuts to the Iowa National Guard, citing their work on behalf of Iowans in the aftermath of natural disasters and in combat deployments outside the United States. In December of 2012 he joined Rep. Tom Latham in efforts to block cuts to the Des Moines Air National Guard.
A copy of Braley's letter is available HERE.
