WHEREAS, the United States Congress has authorized the National Guard troop strength to be 350,000 for the Army National Guard and 106,000 for the Air National Guard; and

WHEREAS, in February 2006, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey announced at a Pentagon news conference that the United States Department of Defense is proposing to the United States Congress that the number of National Guard combat brigades be reduced from thirty-four to twenty-eight, with an offsetting increase in the number of support brigades, leaving the total number of National Guard brigades at the current one hundred six; and

WHEREAS, Army Secretary Harvey also said that the United States Army is proposing to provide only enough money for a National Guard troop strength of 333,000 troops, instead of the 350,000 that is authorized by the United States Congress; and

WHEREAS, in response to this Army National Guard budget reduction announcement, at a recent National Governors Association meeting, all fifty state governors signed a letter opposing the cuts in troop strength for the National Guard in the Bush administration's fiscal year 2007 budget; and

WHEREAS, with tens of thousands of National Guard members in Iraq, the governors are rightfully worried that their states will come up short in disaster response should they face hurricanes, forest fires, floods, terrorist attacks, or other domestic emergencies; and

WHEREAS, the governors also want the federal government to replace the equipment that the deployed National Guard units took overseas but were not allowed to bring home; and

WHEREAS, given their performance, at this time in our history, it is inconceivable that the Bush Administration would seriously consider a reduction in the Army National Guard force structure; and

WHEREAS, the United States Congress should not allow the Bush Administration to cannibalize the Army National Guard to meet the needs of the active duty military or other government programs; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Bush administration and United States Congress are requested to fully restore the funding for the Army National Guard and Air National Guard equipment and personnel budgets; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Congress is also requested to reject any proposed budget cuts made by the Bush administration to the Army National Guard budget and any proposed cuts to the Air National Guard budget for federal fiscal year 2007; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Congress is further requested to block future attempts by the Bush administration to reduce Army National Guard troop strength and Air National Guard airmen strength; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

Report Title:

National Guard; Budget Cuts; Support For Restoration of Moneys