Libertarian Party Officials, Republican Legislators, and Media Figures Sign Letter Urging Donald Trump to Endorse the “Defend the Guard” Act

A coalition of Libertarian Party officials, Republican legislators, and media figures has signed an open letter from the Libertarian Institute urging former President Donald Trump to endorse the Defend the Guard Act. This legislation, which has already been brought up in several states, aims to prevent the deployment of National Guard units into foreign conflicts without a formal declaration of war from Congress, as mandated by the U.S. Constitution.

The letter, penned by Liam McCollum and published on Monday, emphasizes that the National Guard has borne a significant portion of the burden in recent wars, leading to substantial casualties among their ranks. McCollum writes, “Despite commonly being dismissed as ‘weekend warriors,’ the National Guard has been the primary fighting force in the Global War on Terror. 45% of those deployed in the post-9/11 wars have been Guardsmen, and Guardsmen have also represented nearly 20% of the casualties from those wars.”

The letter argues that the Defend the Guard Act would have kept Guardsmen from being sent to conflicts where Congress had not formally declared war, which would have allowed them to be deployed instead at the southern border or at home to protect their communities from natural disasters. Specific examples cited include the response to Hurricane Katrina, recent hurricanes in Florida, and Arizona National Guardsmen who were injured in a drone strike, who could have otherwise been “assisting Texas in its efforts at the United States border with Mexico.”

McCollum further contends that Trump’s endorsement of the Defend the Guard Act would solidify his support among libertarians and constitutional conservatives while aligning with his “America First” agenda, describing its overall appeal as “tripartisan.” He also suggests that the legislation is “one more thing” Trump can do to win over Libertarian voters.

The letter additionally references Libertarian National Committee Chair Angela McArdle, who is quoted as saying she intends to work with “prominent liberty-minded congressmen and senators, like Matt Gaetz and Mike Lee,” to further drum up support for the legislation, which the Libertarian National Committee endorsed during her first term.

Signatories to the letter include McArdle and nine Libertarian Party state chairs, along with former and current Republican legislators from over a dozen states, and veterans from various military branches. Several libertarian organizations and alternative media figures, such as Dave Smith, Clint Russell, and Josie “The Redheaded Libertarian” Glabach, have also signed.