PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took on Feb. 28 rejected a request from the Biden administration to deploy the Florida National Guard to Washington for the State of the Union address on March 1.
“I have rejected this request,” DeSantis wrote on Twitter. “There will be no Florida National Guard sent to D.C. for Biden’s State of the Union.”
Last week, the Biden Administration requested the assistance of State National Guards to deploy to Washington D.C. I have rejected this request — there will be no @FLGuard sent to D.C. for Biden’s State of the Union.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 28, 2022
Christina Pushaw, the governor’s press secretary, said the request was made last week for help to prepare for “First Amendment protests.”“Last week, the federal government requested all states send National Guard personnel to DC to prepare for anticipated ‘First Amendment protests’,” Pushaw told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement. “The National Guard should never be misused for political purposes.”
She continued, “Last year, when the National Guard deployed to DC around the inauguration, they were forced to sleep in freezing parking lots, all for a regime spectacle—Our dedicated, patriotic service members deserve better.”
While Florida will not be sending their national guard units, the Pentagon has approved the deployment of 700 other unarmed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.
On Sunday, U.S. Capitol Police said that fencing will go up around the Capitol building and that roads will be closed in surrounding areas ahead of the state of the union address, out of an “abundance of caution.”
A statement released by Capitol Police said, “The United States Capitol Police and the United States Secret Service have been closely working together to plan for the upcoming State of the Union.”
