About 13,000 part-time Illinois National Guard soldiers and airmen, as well as more than 1,000 full-time civilian employees, could lose two months’ pay if Congress fails to act by August 1, the state’s adjutant general said Monday.

The potential cuts and furloughs are related to more than $521 million in unreimbursed costs incurred by National Guard forces in Illinois and across the country for security  Guard troops provided after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Illinois’ share of the unprecedented shortfall is $31 million, according to Adjutant General Richard Neely, commander of the Illinois Army and Air National Guard.

More: Illinois National Guard to deploy 500 soldiers to Washington, D.C.

That amount represents about 15% of the Illinois Guard’s budget for pay and operational support. Neely said 98% of the Illinois National Guard’s funding comes from the federal government.

The costs of National Guard troops providing security around the Illinois Capitol in Springfield in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6 were covered by Illinois state government, he said.

Canceling weekend drills and training exercises in August and September — an option being considered to help make up the shortfall if Congress doesn’t act — would make Guard units less ready for future deployments to national disasters, Neely said.

And part-time Guard members would lose out on hundreds and thousands of dollars in pay during those two months — money they are depending on to pay household bills, he said.

“It is very upsetting,” Neely said.

Lawmakers need to do their part, he said.

In addition to the response after the Capitol insurrection, Guard soldiers and airmen have been essential over the past 18 months in distributing personal-protective equipment and in testing and vaccinating citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic, Neely said.

“They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do,” he said.

Legislation to pay back the National Guard has been held up by debate in Washington over how to pay for additional security at the U.S. Capitol in the future. 

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Hoffman Estates, couldn’t be reached for comment but have supported a proposal by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., that includes paying the debt for Guard security.

U.S. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, issued a statement that said: “Congress absolutely has a duty to prevent furloughs in the U.S. Capitol Police and National Guard, but Democrats in the House abandoned bipartisan negotiations to push a spending bill that costs nearly three times as much as what’s needed to make the USCP and National Guard budgets whole.

“That’s being irresponsible with our tax dollars and threatens the readiness of the National Guard to respond to natural disasters and emergencies,” Davis said. “Congress must pass a clean funding bill specific to USCP and National Guard needs to ensure we will avoid these dangerous furloughs, which are just days away.”

John Rauber, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, said in an email: “As a long-time supporter of the Illinois National Guard, Rep. LaHood is monitoring this closely and believes the National Guard should be fully reimbursed for their hard work while on deployment in Washington, D.C. this year.

“Congress should ensure that nothing delays providing our men and women in uniform with the funding they are owed,” Rauber said. “Rep. LaHood will continue to work with the Illinois National Guard, including the 183rd Wing in Springfield and the 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria, to ensure they have the resources they need to continue protecting our nation.”

The National Guard shifted funding a few months into the federal 2021 fiscal year to cover security-related costs after supporters of former President Donald Trump swarmed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Participants in the insurrection were unsuccessful in their attempts to overturn results of the November election as Electoral College votes were certified in Joe Biden’s presidential victory.

More than 25,000 Guard troops from around the country were sent to protect the Capitol in the aftermath of the riot. About 800 of them, mostly Army National Guard soldiers, were from Illinois, Neely said.

The $31 million was used to pay, feed and house the Illinois guard troops, who served for various lengths of time between early January and May 25, he said.

If the National Guard isn’t reimbursed, the money must be saved in August and September, the last two months of the federal fiscal year, he said.

Neely took part in a media briefing last week on the issue. He declined to comment on the overall issue of how U.S. Capitol security should be addressed.

“There’s a lot of really smart people looking at the best way to secure the Capitol,” he said last week. “And I think it’s important for the National Guard really to stay out of that conversation. That’s a civilian leader decision that will be made with the best approach going forward. … It’s important for our leaders in Washington to figure out, and at all levels to figure out, how to take care of the National Guard soldiers and airmen that have supported them.”

Cutting the pay for Guard troops and employees will have “an incredibly negative impact … not only on our readiness, but on the morale and probably retention of our soldiers and airmen long-term,” Neely said.

Contact Dean Olsen: dolsen@gannett.com; (217) 836-1068; twitter.com/DeanOlsenSJR.