Senate Hearing on 2020 National Guard and Reserve Budget
January 1, 2019
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The Frame
This hearing sets the stage for how federal funding is allocated to National Guard and Reserve forces, which directly impacts military readiness, disaster response capabilities, and the scale of troop deployments at the southwest border.
Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.
National Guard and Reserve members
The budget determines their funding, equipment, training, and deployment schedules.
Customs and Border Protection
Military deployments at the border are intended to supplement their personnel for immigration enforcement.
Last recorded activity January 1, 2019.
Next step not available in the current record.
Summary
Key Facts
- The subcommittee is reviewing the President's fiscal year 2020 budget request for the National Guard and Reserve.
- Operation Guardian Support at the southwest border has been active for one year.
- Approximately 5,000 troops are currently deployed at the southwest border.
- The estimated cost for the National Guard's border deployment is $247 million.
- The estimated cost for active duty military deployment at the border is $150 million.
- The cost for National Guard counterdrug missions in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas is $57 million.
- In 2017, there were 70,237 drug overdose deaths in the U.S., with 28,466 involving fentanyl.
- The committee is evaluating how the budget aligns with the new National Defense Strategy and modernization goals.
- The hearing addressed concerns regarding hurricane response, flooding, and water contamination from firefighting chemicals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary purpose of the National Guard deployment at the southwest border?
What specific issues besides border security were raised during the hearing?
Why It Matters
This hearing sets the stage for how federal funding is allocated to National Guard and Reserve forces, which directly impacts military readiness, disaster response capabilities, and the scale of troop deployments at the southwest border.
News Coverage
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Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Border Deployment Costs
The document explicitly contrasts the high cost of general border troop deployments ($397 million combined) with the significantly lower cost of specific counterdrug missions ($57 million).
Connected Entities
Sources
www.govinfo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment20Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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