Lawmakers demand explanation for cutting federal funding to states for National Guard deployments...

We do. It’s a best-guess based on likely events. Think of it kind of like a highway department’s budget...they don’t know how much road salt they’ll need but they know they don’t want to try to buy it the day after they need it. So they make estimates based on past trends.

Now...no one could have seen this coming, although I imagine NORTHCOM has a significant discretionary budget for something similar to this. Where it gets interesting is that Title 32 orders are typically funded 75 fed/25 state (can’t recall exact percentages) but for much of the Covid response the federal government has been picking up the entire tab.

Also of note: state active duty funds are not active military pay. It’s a flat per-day rate regardless of rank or TIS. No BAH either. So Title 32 is more expensive but much more advantageous to the soldier, especially if it’s a long-term event like this has been.

SFC Thomas Foreman - Yeah you might be right about funding for disasters, I was looking at it from a large TSC budget perspective. There is a huge risk of state National Guard Bureaus to run out of requisite funds if they have to pitch in the 25% Title 32. I might be the first one to do this, but I have actually used DTS to pay TDY for National Guard for a federal mission in 2009 with blessings from higher echelons.

I concur