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Article: Who should command the National Guard? The National Guard has traditionally been under the control of the states. Section 1076 of the 2007 Defense Authorization Act change that, concerning many.(National Defense Authorization Act of 2007)(Cover story)
- Article from:
- State Legislatures
- Article date:
- September 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 National Conference of State Legislatures. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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When Washington Representative Larry Seaquist learned of a provision included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007 enhancing the president's authority to command the National Guard for domestic purposes, he was instantly concerned.
A former warship captain for the U.S. Navy, Seaquist likes the way presidents have been granted authorization to use the Guard in domestic emergencies in the past: through the consent of the governors of the states where the Guard resides.
"Fundamentally, this is both a states' rights and constitutional question that is steeped in our nation's history," says Seaquist. General George Washington commanded two kinds ...