President Joe Biden said Thursday evening he's considering deploying the National Guard to help ease stress on the US supply chain as it prompts growing concern about the economy, prompting a White House official to swiftly throw cold water on the plan.
"Yes, absolutely, positively. I will do that," Biden said when asked by moderator Anderson Cooper during CNN's town hall in Baltimore if he was prepared to call up the National Guard. The President said he would specifically consider calling up National Guard members for trucking to help solve a shortage of drivers "if we can't move -- increase the number of truckers, which we are in a process of doing."
A White House official, however, told CNN shortly after that the administration is not actively considering deploying the National Guard despite Biden's comments. "Requesting the use of the National Guard at the state level is under the purview of governors and we are not actively pursuing the use of the National Guard on a federal level," the official said.