AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Texas Army National Guard officials say a federal budget shortfall is forcing it to postpone drills to late September with the hope that funding will become available later.
In a statement Friday, the Texas Army National Guard said the National Guard Bureau announced Aug. 29 that the Army National Guard was $101 million over budget due to higher-than-normal spending. That means if additional funding doesn’t emerge, September drills will be cancelled for the Texas Army National Guard.
The statement said the funding issue doesn’t affect any of the ongoing missions and isn’t expected to impair readiness.
Most Army Guard members are part time and many have full-time civilian jobs. They get paid for readiness training, earning hundreds of dollars for a weekend of drills depending on their rank.
