First lady Jill Biden made an unscheduled stop at the US Capitol on Friday to thank members of the National Guard who have been guarding the complex in the weeks since the Capitol riot on January 6.
Up to 25,000 members of the National Guard were activated to guard the Capitol for President Joe Biden’s inauguration. In the days since, a number of Guard members remain on hand.
According to the National Guard, 10,600 Guard members remained stationed at the US Capitol as of Thursday evening. Nearly 7,000 members were expected to remain guarding the Capitol through the end of the month.
The first lady delivered a basket containing cookies to some of the National Guard members. When she exited the motorcade, she spoke with some commanding officers and addressed several dozen service members who stood at attention.
Biden then thanked them for protecting her family.
“The National Guard will always hold a special place in the hearts of all the Bidens,” the first lady said, referring to her step-son Beau Biden who was a member of the Delaware Army National Guard.
Biden made the stop at the Capitol one day after members of the Guard were briefly told they had to take their resting breaks in a parking garage, prompting bipartisan outage from some members of Congress. They have since been allowed to take their resting breaks inside of the Capitol.
