Tri Cities Reporter

Gov. Jay Inslee requested President Donald Trump's administration extend the funding and authority for the Washington National Guard until March 31, according to a news release.

Currently, the authorization is set to expire on Dec. 31, the news release states. Inslee said in the letter that the National Guard was needed to ensure adequate response statewide.

"As anticipated, Washington State is experiencing a winter surge in positive COVID-19 cases," Inslee wrote in the letter. "At the same time, our state is making preparations to efficiently distribute the highly anticipated vaccines. We continue to rely on essential help from the Washington National Guard to ensure an effective response across our state, especially during this critical time."

The Washington National Guard has more than 800 members. Personnel are operating test sites and building test kits, according to the news release. The guard has so far helped test nearly 61,000 people in the state and assembled more than 300,000 kits, the news release states.