National Guard troops deployed in Washington D.C. found numerous problems with the food they are being served in recent days while continuing to support security missions in the capital.
A source for WXYZ News in Detroit said Michigan National Guard troops have thrown out meals due to problems they have found, including nearly 75 meals thrown out on Sunday after metal shavings were found in the food.
A source for Barstool Sports also sent texts describing “metal shavings and worms” found in meals. The same source asked reporters to also mention “the fact that we are all spending our own money on food because we don’t trust it.”
TV6 & FOX UP have new pictures of the non-edible food provided to Michigan National Guard members in Washington,…
Posted by Andrew LaCombe on Monday, March 1, 2021
Sources for TV6 Michigan also sent pictures including one of a rotting orange, a dinner roll with mold growing on the bottom and undercooked meat.
The food safety concerns caught the attention of several lawmakers.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) said, “It is simply unacceptable that these men and women are being fed chicken with feathers still attached and raw ground beef and then, to add insult to injury, they are forced to purchase food with their own money.”
Peters has called on the National Guard to terminate their contract with the company providing food for Michigan National Guard troops and to instead provide the troops with a per diem, including retroactive per diem payments.
The Michigan National Guard said, “As soon as the first reports were received, Governor [Gretchen] Whitmer called Acting Secretary of the Army John E. Whitley to communicate Michigan’s concerns. Other Michigan senior leaders also engaged at the highest levels of the federal government to inform those in charge and to ensure that they knew of our displeasure with the conditions. Every assurance was given that the issue would be addressed and corrected.”
Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) met with the troops and his office said, “Per the soldiers, the food issues have been remedied, but we are still looking into it as a team to see how this happened and ensure this doesn’t happen again. As he has made very clear, Rep. Bergman believes it’s past time to get our National Guard troops back home to Michigan.”
The Michigan National Guard indicated troops would remain in D.C. until March 12, “the agreed upon end date for this deployment.”
Several Republican lawmakers have called for National Guard deployments in D.C. to end already and, after troops were left to take shelter in a parking garage, Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas recalled their state’s troops from D.C.
