[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today wrote to the leadership of our nation’s Guard and Reserve Forces expressing concern over how the services plan to carry out regular travel requirements in the face of growing community spread of COVID-19. Duckworth, a 23 year Veteran of the Reserve Forces, pressed these leaders to publicize the current policy for travel for drill weekends, taking into account the spread of COVID-19, and how those policies will be updated and communicated to reflect various emergency declarations that have been, and will continue to be, issued at the state and local level.
“I am particularly concerned with our Reserve and Guard troops’ ability to keep themselves and their communities safe,” Duckworth wrote. “Reservists and Guardsmen travel from all over the country to their units for their monthly drills. This has real potential to spread the virus if someone feels they must report for duty but they are in a heavily hit city or should be under restricted travel.”
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The letter was addressed to General Joseph Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau; Lieutenant General Charles D. Luckey, Chief of the Army Reserve; Lieutenant General David G. Bellon, Commander of Marine Forces Reserve; Vice Admiral Luke M. McCollum, Chief of Navy Reserve; and Lieutenant General Richard W. Scobee, Chief of Air Force Reserve.
Last week, Duckworth sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging the agency take immediate action to dramatically improve establish clear diagnostic testing procedures, capabilities and production capacity to better mitigate against the impact of the highly contagious coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) that is spreading throughout communities in the United States. Duckworth also wrote to the U.S. Small Business Administration to request the agency establishes a task force focused on effectively and efficiently providing assistance to small businesses harmed by the outbreak of COVID-19.
A full copy of the letter is available below and online here.
Dear Gen. Lengyel, Lt. Gen. Luckey, Lt. Gen. Bellon, VAdm. McCollum and Lt. Gen. Scobee:
With the increasing community spread of the highly contagious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19), our Nation is transitioning its response from a primarily containment-based strategy to one focused on mitigating the effects and impact of the disease. However, I remain concerned about avenues that may increase the spread of COVID-19 or introduce it to broader populations, including by those whose work requires them to travel.
I am particularly concerned with our Reserve and Guard troops’ ability to keep themselves and their communities safe. Reservists and Guardsmen travel from all over the country to their units for their monthly drills. This has real potential to spread the virus if someone feels they must report for duty but they are in a heavily hit city or should be under restricted travel.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that in regard to COVID-19 spreading on U.S. soil, “It’s not a question of if, but rather a question of when and how many people will have severe illness,” and in some places we are already seeing that warning tragically validated.
Therefore I ask that each of you make public and communicate to all the affected individuals what the current policy is for Reserve and Guard troops’ travel for drill weekends in light of COVID-19. If such a policy does not exist or requires updating, I request that you rapidly work to develop a starting policy, as well as a plan to re-evaluate and proactively communicate any updates or exceptions to that policy to the individuals who are required to report in the coming weeks. I would also ask for a brief update on how you plan to reassess and approach these decisions while incorporating the various emergency declarations that have been, and will be, issued at the State and local level.
Our Guardsmen and Reservists often rely on their drill pay to make ends meet beyond their civilian employment, and these weekends count toward critical retirement calculations as well. As the services are developing these policies, I also ask that you consider the possibility of allowing the affected individuals to drill from home, completing online courses or other tasks as assigned by their command. They should not miss critical pay and the ability to earn retirement points toward a good year due to COVID-19.
Thank you in advance for considering my request and I look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely,
Tammy Duckworth
United States Senator
