Congressman Kim Calls on Administration to
Extend National Guard Deployment

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) released the following statement in response to a Politico report that members of the National Guard currently deployed to combat the Coronavirus Crisis face a ‘hard stop’ on their deployments, which would deny them benefits and take them off the frontlines of the fight.

“This is the wrong move at the wrong time. This is a national security crisis, and the National Guard are already playing a big role in helping our country turn the corner and must continue that role as we begin to increase contact tracing throughout the country. And if they’re going to put themselves in harm’s way for us, we shouldn’t snatch away benefits they’ve earned through their hard work one day before they are eligible. The Administration should do the right thing for the safety of the country and for our men and women in uniform; reconsider the ‘hard stop’ order and extend these deployments.”

Congressman Kim is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he serves the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and as a Member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Prior to serving in Congress, Congressman Kim served in Afghanistan as Strategic Advisor to Generals David Petraeus and John Allen. Kim went on to serve as Director of Iraq in Obama’s National Security Council where he coordinated the crisis response to countering the rise of ISIS.

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