Governor Chet Culver says he’s concerned about the amount of state-owned equipment the military is using in the war in Iraq. Culver says if natural disaster strikes in Iowa, the Iowa National Guard has adequate equipment within the state to respond. But Culver says he’s working with the National Governors Association to see that the Pentagon pays states for the National Guard equipment that’s damaged or destroyed in the Middle East.
"They deploy our troops from the respective states, but they also take with them equipment what happens is that’s not coming back," Culver says. "We’ve lost roughly 20 to 30 percent of our equipment." Earlier this week, the governor of Kansas said her state’s tornado recovery efforts were hampered because much-needed equipment was in Iraq.
President Bush’s spokesman fired back, blaming the Kansas governor for not asking the feds for more equipment. Later, both sides agreed the Kansas National Guard had what it needed to respond to the tornadoes which ripped across that state this weekend.