Thompson: Guard Funds Needed

JACKSON (AP) – The top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee says he will support a request to fill a gap in the Army National Guard budget.

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi says Tuesday that he’s urging other members of Congress to support the National Guard Bureau’s request to reallocate some money.

Mississippi Army National Guard spokesman Tim Powell says Mississippi, like many other states, has postponed training because the federal bureau is $101 million over budget due to higher-than-normal spending.

Powell says the Mississippi guard hopes money can be shifted from other accounts to allow for training later this month.