By The FirstThe Pentagon approved the deployment of 700 members of the National Guard to control traffic and other checkpoints surrounding the US Capitol during Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1st.
The troops will be tasked with maintain order as thousands of ‘Freedom Truckers’ are expected to arrive in DC ahead of the President’s speech.
“The people who live, work and visit the District are part of our community, and their safety is our first mission priority,” Major General Sherrie McCandless, general of the D.C. National Guard, said in a press release. “Our MPD and USCP partners have asked for our help in ensuring people can demonstrate peacefully and safely, and we stand ready to assist.”
“We have been working, including from Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall here, as well as our Homeland Security Department, closely with our federal, state, and local partners to continuously assess the threat environment and keep our communities safe,” added White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. “And our efforts include enhanced intelligence sharing, a Critical Incident Response Plan for the U.S. Capitol, a regional security assessment, and a simulation experiment that developed data-driven recommendations to bolster regional security. So, we are closely monitoring, closely watching, and working with state and local authorities.”
Read the full report at CBS News.
