The National Guard was allowed to return to the Capitol complex after lawmakers exploded when they were banned from parking.

The National Guard was allowed to return to the Capitol complex after lawmakers exploded when they were banned from parking.

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The Guard will now be allowed to rest at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, the guard said.

The move comes after thousands of National Guards have been moved to a parking lot after being told they would no longer be able to use the space within the U.S. Capitol Complex, including areas such as the refectory of a Senate office building, as a rest area. , several guards told CNN.

Prior to Thursday morning, several areas throughout the Capitol Complex were designated as authorized rest areas where members of the Guard could take breaks on their shifts to protect the Capitol. As of Thursday morning, all of these areas were cleared and their designations removed, guards said.

“Honestly, we just felt betrayed,” a guard told CNN on Thursday, noting that a day earlier, congressmen had come for photos with the different units of the National Guard who went to Washington to support security during the inauguration. “After everything went perfectly, we were considered useless and banished to a corner of a parking lot.”

The news of the situation of the guards, which was first reported by the Politico, drew swift indignation from lawmakers who tweeted their concern about the situation.

Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, wrote: “Very upset about this story, but I contacted the Utah National Guard and they are being attended to. My team and I are investigating what happened here and will continue to work to fix it. this situation.”

Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, tweeted: “I just made a series of calls and I was informed that the Capitol Police apologized to the guards and they will be allowed to return to the compound tonight. I will continue to check to make sure that They are . “

And Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, tweeted, “This is outrageous, shameful and incredibly disrespectful to the men and women who keep the United States Capitol safe and secure. We need it fixed and we need answers on how it works. It happened.”

Photos provided to CNN showed guards sitting or lying in isolated areas with electrical tape. Some seemed to be sleeping on concrete pillars in the garage, a few feet away from the parked cars. There was an electrical outlet and a bathroom with two cabins for 5,000 soldiers, a guard told CNN. Although many of the soldiers in the photos are wearing masks, some are not, which the guard said was against orientation and a serious risk for Covid, calling him “totally unacceptable”.

“Our guidance is if you are not eating or drinking, you need to wear a mask. We have only had a few positive tests for Covid in my unit, and they are just keeping us packed together with small areas of electrical tape,” said that guard. “And this is the only authorized rest area.”

The House’s acting weapons sergeant, Tim Blodgett, said in a statement Thursday night that he will continue to “monitor the Guard’s working and living conditions”.

Approximately 25,000 National Guard soldiers were deployed from all 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia due to the growing security concerns surrounding President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Many used the coffee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, northwest of the Capitol, as a rest area to relax, recharge phones and get wireless internet. But on Thursday afternoon, the guards who spoke to CNN said they could no longer use the cafeteria and could only rest in the parking lot of the nearby Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center.

The National Guard Office said on Thursday that the relocation of troops was temporary because Congress is in session.

“The National Guard continues to assist and support the United States Capitol Police. As Congress is in session and pedestrian traffic and business is underway, the Capitol Police asked the troops to move their rest area. They have been temporarily relocated to the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center with heated garage and toilet facilities. We remain an agile and flexible force to ensure the safety and protection of the Capitol and its surroundings, “the National Guard Office said in a statement.

The United States Capitol Police did not directly address the situation of guards in a statement late on Thursday, but detailed their understanding of how much “off-campus rest time” guards receive.

“The Department recently requested that troop schedules be changed to work no more than 8-hour shifts to allow more off-campus rest after taking office,” the statement said. “The Guard is analyzing the request so that the logistics and schedules can be adjusted.”

A week earlier, photos of National Guard soldiers resting at the Capitol roundabout also caused a stir. A Guard spokesman made it clear that the troops did not sleep on duty, but rested between shifts.

“To be clear, this is not where they stay when they are off duty. Being present is the first step in ensuring the safety of our citizens and our nation’s Capitol. Our security personnel work in shifts and rest when they can, while the others are on guard, “said a Guard spokesman.

Most of the 25,000 national guards who were brought to Washington to help protect the city during the inauguration will be sent home within five to 10 days, the Bureau said on Thursday. Approximately 15,000 soldiers will return home “as soon as possible”, although the planning and process to start moving them takes a few days.

There are some agencies asking for continued support, said the National Guard Office, and approximately 7,000 guards are expected to remain until the end of the month.

This story has been updated with additional reports.

FIX: An earlier version of this story misspelled Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s name.

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