In the latest sign that it\u2019s a brand new era at the White House, First Lady Jill Biden made a surprise visit Friday to National Guard troops stationed at the U.S. Capitol, and passed out baskets of chocolate chip cookies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to come to say thank you to all of you for keeping me and my family safe,\u201d the masked first lady told troops mobilized to the site in the wake of Donald Trump supporters\u2019 attack on the Capitol.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that you left your home states,\u201d she added, noting that the Bidens\u2019 late son, Beau,\u00a0had served in the Natioanl Guard, including in Iraq. \u201cI\u2019m a National Guard mom. Thanks you from President Biden and from the entire Biden family. I truly appreciate all that you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Biden made the visit the day after hundreds of troops were forced to move from buildings on Capitol Hill to\u00a0the Washington parking garage\u00a0for their rest breaks.\u00a0The garage smelled like exhaust and gasoline, had few bathrooms, limited internet service and few electrical outlets, and was crowded and uncomfortable,\u00a0according to Politico, which first reported the news.<\/p>\n
While Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) vented on Twitter about the situation, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel, took action. She made some insistent phone calls and the troops were moved out of the garage within hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, the first lady visited Whitman-Walker Health, a nonprofit health center that specializes in LGBTQ and HIV care, in downtown Washington.<\/p>\n