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The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday unanimously passed a resolution honoring two National Guard members who were shot in Washington, D.C., late last month. The measure was approved by voice vote, meaning no individual roll call was taken.
U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot just blocks from the White House. Federal authorities are investigating the shooting as a potential terror-related attack.
Beckstrom died from her wounds, while Wolfe spent days in critical condition before being upgraded. He will now likely spend months, if not longer, in rehab after being shot in the head.
The purported gunman is an Afghan refugee who arrived in the U.S. as part of Operation Allies Welcome during the U.S. military’s harried exit from Kabul in 2021 that was ordered by then-President Joe Biden.
Lawmakers from both parties spoke in support of the resolution, which was introduced by West Virginia Republican Reps. Carol Miller and Riley Moore. The debate marked a rare moment of bipartisan agreement in the current Congress, Fox News reported.
“As members of the West Virginia National Guard on duty in the nation’s capital, Spc. Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Wolfe were targeted and violently assaulted with a barrage of gunfire for doing nothing less than performing their duty as a soldier and an airman,” Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., said on Monday.
“Both of them sustained severe gunshot wounds during the attack. Sadly, Spc. Beckstrom succumbed to her injuries and passed away surrounded by loved ones on Thanksgiving Day. While Staff Sgt. Wolfe remains in recovery, and we wish him speedy success in that effort to be back on his feet.”
Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, said Beckstrom’s “life was far too short, but her example will endure.”
“Spc. Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Wolfe represent the very best of our nation. Young Americans driven by service, compassion, and a sense of duty. Their willingness to step forward to serve their communities and their country reflects the highest ideals of military and public service,” Tokuda said.
Miller called the attack “a targeted assault against United States service members.”
Moore said that as a father himself, it was “heartbreaking” to see Beckstrom’s parents at her funeral in Grafton, W. Va., last month.
“Watching her father just grieve in that manner is just unimaginable. It really puts you at a loss for words,” he said.
Meanwhile, Trump administration officials are becoming increasingly aggressive when it comes to curbing both legal and illegal immigration to the United States following the deadly attack the two Guard troops.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has stated that she will recommend a travel ban on several countries that she claims are contributing significantly to criminal activity in the U.S.
Noem said in a post on social media on last week that she had met with President Donald Trump and decided to suggest “a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.”
Trump and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shared Noem’s post on their official social media accounts. It is currently unclear which countries the proposed travel ban would affect or when it might be implemented. DHS informed the BBC that it would announce the list soon.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday evening that President Trump had already imposed a travel ban several months ago targeting what the administration described as “third world and failed state” countries. She said Noem’s new recommendations would broaden the policy to include additional nations.
On 4 June, the White House released a list of 19 countries — primarily in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean — that would be subject to full or partial immigration restrictions. Noem’s proposed additions would bring the total to roughly 30 countries.
