Nearly five months after being deployed to the U.S. Capitol to help quell the January 6 insurrection, National Guard troops are set to leave and turn over security of the area to Capitol Police.
Guard troops, their mission ending Sunday, are expected to be leaving on Monday.
The Pentagon announced earlier in the week that an extension of the Guard presence - 2,149 troops - had not been requested.
The planned departure came as Democrats and Republicans sparred over how to fund fortifications of the Capitol and whether to form an independent bipartisan commission to investigate the attack that sought to overturn former President Donald Trump's loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Members of the National Guard walk in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on the final days of their deployment following the January 6 Capitol riots in Washington, D.C.
National Guard troops push a cart through the cafeteria in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Sunday
Members of the National Guard put ready-to-eat meals into a trash bin as they clear up
National Guard troops deployed at the Capitol since January are to leave on Monday
Members of the National Guard sit at a cafeteria table in Dirksen Senate Office Building
Members of the National Guard push a trash bin of Meals Ready-to-Eat, MREs, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on the final daysof their deployment
Members of the National Guard get ready to leave the Capitol building following an almost five month long deployment
Some Republican lawmakers have begun downplaying the event despite the handful of deaths, injuries to scores of police officers, hundreds of arrests, damages to the building and shouted threats against lawmakers from many of those who stormed the building.
Much of the violence was caught on camera.
Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, who oversaw a security review in the wake of the rioting, told CBS´ 'Face the Nation' on Sunday that the Capitol itself will be secured by Capitol Police but that the complex will remain closed to the general public because of the strain on the police force.
'God bless the National Guard,' Honore said. 'They've done significant work.'
More than 2,000 troops are packing up and leaving the Capitol more than four months after a mob of angry Trump supporters stormed the building. Troops pictured standing guard in April
Initially a March 12 deadline was put in place but later extended until May 23
National Guards troops from around the country were initially assigned to D.C. to help bolster security for President Biden’s inauguration. Troops are pictured last month outside the Capitol
Though razor-wire-topped fencing that stood as a stark reminder of the siege has been removed, an extended perimeter fence remains in place, cutting off access to the lush grounds popular with the public.
At its height, there were about 5,200 National Guard troops protecting the Capitol and the mission had already once been extended from March to May 23.
It has been far from plain sailing for the troops. At some point soldiers were forced to sleep on the floor of the Capitol and even in the complex's parking garage.
In March is was revealed members of theNational Guard had been forced to eat raw chicken, moldy bread and meals containing metal shavings while they remain on guard in Washington
More than a dozen soldiers on deployment became ill - with some serious enough to be hospitalized - after reportedly being given undercooked and contaminated food being supplied by a contractor to all troops stationed in DC
Soldiers have blown the whistle on the sub-par food by sharing photos of pink chicken, uncooked beef and moldy food with lawmakers and online
In March, the troops' meals came under scrutiny with members complaining they were forced to eat raw chicken and moldy bread.
More than a dozen soldiers on deployment have became ill - with some serious enough to be hospitalized - after reportedly being given undercooked and contaminated food.
Aside from the poor - and sometimes dangerous - quality, troops were not being given enough food, with breakfast some days consisting of just a dinner roll and Sunny D ahead of a 12-hour shift.
Aside from the issues with the quality of food in March, in January shocking photos showed thousands of Guardsmen forced to sleep on the floor of the packed Thurgood Marshall Building parking garage and in a park outside.
Images showed troops packed inside parking garages during their rest breaks with one unit of around 5,000 forced to sleep in one garage with just one bathroom between all of them.
Before being located to the parking lot, the troops had been allowed to take rest breaks inside the Capitol building.
The soldiers do have hotel rooms but their 12 hour shift pattern means they cannot easily return to their rooms during rest breaks.
Issues with the quality of food came after a backlash in January when shocking photos showed thousands of Guardsmen forced to sleep on the floor of the packed Thurgood Marshall Building parking garage and in a park outside
National Guard troops sleep on the grass on the eastern front of the US Capitol in January
Images showed troops packed inside parking garages during their rest breaks with one unit of around 5,000 forced to sleep in one garage with just one bathroom between all of them.
Federal prosecutors have charged more than 300 people for involvement in the attack that led to five deaths, including a police officer.
Federal prosecutors have charged more than 300 people for involvement in the attack that led to five deaths, including a police officer. Those arrested include members of armed militia groups such as the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters.
Last month, a motorist rammed a car into U.S. Capitol police, killing one officer and injuring another and forcing the Capitol complex to lock down.
The House on Thursday approved - by a single vote largely along party lines - a $1.9 billion measure to fortify the Capitol.
The next day the House approved with 35 Republican votes the formation of an investigative commission. Both measures face an uncertain future in the evenly divided Senate.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he opposes the commission proposal, which would need significant Republican support to advance under Senate rules.
Republican opponents say the commission would become a political tool as midterms elections approach, though the proposal requires its work to be concluded by the end of this year.
Security was upped around the Capitol after a MAGA mob stormed the building on January 6, pictured
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