Missouri National Guard

Near Eagle Pass, Texas, on Wednesday, the Missouri governor and top general of the Missouri National Guard touted the bill, which funds the deployment for 200 troops and 22 highway patrol officers.

With bipartisan support, Missouri representatives voted 122-12 to approve the $2.2 million bill, which now goes to the Senate. The initial deployment of the troops will last at least 90 days but could be extended.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced a plan Tuesday to add 200 Missouri National Guard members and 22 state highway patrol troopers to the 250 guardsmen already deployed to southern border. Parson blames the Biden administration's border policies for the fentanyl crisis in Missouri.

The Great War depleted the states’ National Guard troops, sending them overseas. Missouri was one of the states that backfilled the domestic duties with unpaid volunteers.

The establishment of the new department comes after nearly 50 years of the Missouri National Guard being part of the Department of Public Safety.

Missouri is one of only two states where control of its National Guard does not rest with the governor, but Amendment 5 could change that in November. Plus: Engineers in Kansas are trying a new way to prevent reservoirs from getting filled with mud.

Missouri and Massachusetts are the only states whose National Guards fall under another state department agency instead of answering directly to the governor.

While COVID-19 deaths are surging, the National Guard’s response is not. Federal funding for pandemic duty is in question, and a major new challenge is looming on the horizon.