Proposal for permanent closure of the Capitol arouses bipartisan repulsion

The high and imposing fence around the Capitol came to embody the debate on security concerns after the riot of January 6 over the assurance that citizens are not isolated from their government, and a proposal by the Capitol police this week to make it permanent creates a bipartisan system. backlash.

Local leaders and members of Congress oppose it. Washington, DC, mayor Muriel bowserMuriel BowserScrutiny Grows With National Guard Presence On Capitol Hill The Hill’s Morning Report – Brought To You By Facebook – Which Way Will Democrats Take On COVID-19 Bill? Bowser Says DC ‘Won’t Accept’ Permanent Fences Around The Capitol LEARN MORE (D) said the city government “will not accept” permanent fences around the Capitol, vowing it will fall “when the time is right.”

representative Elise StefanikElise Marie Stefanik Home Republicans Call for Briefing on National Guard Threats to Keep DC Lincoln Project Hits Stefanik in New Ad for Supporting Trump Wyoming County Votes to Censor Liz Cheney for Trump’s Impeachment Vote MORE (RN.Y.) said she was “categorically opposed” to the fence around the “People’s House,” while Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) Said “it is a mistake of turn the home of our democracy into a fortress. “

But for now, the days when even passing joggers can approach the building and a few feet from lawmakers moving around campus are on hold as threats continue to mount.

The January 6 uprising by thousands of elders President TrumpDonald TrumpPalm Beach Reviews Trump’s Residence In Mar-a-Lago Immigration Reform Can’t Wait On The Money: Five Questions About The GameStop Controversy | Biden and Yellen call for swift action on new aid READ MORESupporters of Congress trying to block Congress from certifying President Biden’s election victory, which resulted in the deaths of five people including a Capitol Police officer, now have Capitol Hill trying to mitigate what the ministry of Homeland Security considered an internal terrorist threat.

Anyone currently entering the Capitol complex must pass through two layers of tall fences – around the Capitol’s immediate grounds as well as nearby office buildings – and pass the thousands of National Guard members who should be stationed there until ‘in March, as part of Trump’s impeachment trial. , after the city center was effectively closed for Biden’s inauguration in order to guard against extremists threatening the transition of power.

Yogananda Pittman, the Acting Capitol Police Chief, on Thursday called for a permanent fence, noting that a 2006 security assessment recommended such a measure and that security experts had argued for stricter protections for the Capitol. before September 11.

“In light of recent events, I can unequivocally state that vast improvements in physical security infrastructure need to be made to include permanent fencing and the availability of ready relief forces near the Capitol,” Pittman said in a statement. .

representative Tim ryanTimothy (Tim) RyanJim Jordan Says He Will Not Run For Senate In 2022 Ohio Lt. Gov. Will Not Run At Portman Senate Seat Capitol Building Police Chief Apologizes And Admits Failures of the department in matters of riot PLUS (D-Ohio), the chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for the legislative branch, said any change in Capitol Hill’s security posture would likely come after discussions with security and safety experts. examining how other legislatures around the world deal with threats.

“We will obviously take the recommendations of the security people who know a lot more about this subject than we do and see what the threat assessments are and then see how we can best do it by balancing accessibility to the Capitol,” a Ryan said.

Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are also reviewing requests for additional funding from the Capitol Police and Sergeants-at-Arms to address security concerns for the Capitol Campus and individual members of Congress. It is not yet clear when Congress will approve the additional funding.

“There are obviously significant costs associated with the security footprint,” Sen said. Chris MurphyChristopher (Chris) Scott MurphyHow McConnell Derailed Trump’s Impeachment Trial Before Starting Schumer Vows To Go Forward With Trump Trial Despite Setback The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Focus on vaccine, virus, PLUS trips (D-Conn.), Ryan’s counterpart in the Senate overseeing funding for the legislative branch.

The House passed a similar fundraising measure in 2017 after the congressional baseball shootout, which nearly cost the House Minority Whip. Steve ScaliseStephen (Steve) Joseph ScaliseGOP Has Growing Marjorie Taylor Greene Problem Boycott Fictitious Impeachment The Memo: Biden Bet He Can Do It All MORE (R-La.) His life, to give lawmakers an extra $ 25,000 for security needs.

In the past, lawmakers have also been able to use campaign funds to pay for home security.

Neither speaker Nancy PelosiNancy Pelosi Human rights campaign calls for impeachment of Marjorie Taylor Greene from committees Democrats call for hearings to expel Marjorie Taylor Greene Capitol police officer to lie in honor in rotunda READ MORE (D-Calif.) Neither the Senate Majority Leader Charles SchumerChuck Schumer Immigration Reform Can’t Wait Psaki Expects DHS Candidate Mayorkas to Lead Task Force to Reunite Separated Families Biden DHS Chooses Senate Breakthroughs, Passing Republican Hurdle MORE (DN.Y.) has taken a stand on the permanent fences around the Capitol.

“The President is eagerly awaiting General Honoré’s final assessment in order to understand what infrastructure changes are needed to ensure the security of the US Capitol complex,” said spokesman Drew Hammill, referring to the post- January. 6 security review ordered by Pelosi.

Schumer said he “would tend to defer to experts as to the safest way to be,” but that “there should be both. Security and the right to access the building. “

Security officials have raised the idea of ​​a fence around the Capitol for decades, including after the 9/11 attacks.

In 2004, the then Capitol Police chief argued that a physical barrier would increase security and place the estimated cost range between $ 15 million and $ 50 million.

“The impact of the absence of it is felt every day and is manifested in the number of staff required and our budget,” testified Terrance Gainer, the Capitol police chief at the time, before a Senate panel.

Lawmakers on both sides balked at making the Capitol complex less accessible to the public, and the proposal was never successful.

But the current fence – and the debate on its continued to fend off external threats – will not contain Democrats’ concerns that some of their own GOP colleagues are posing internal threats.

Some House Republicans have been open to carrying guns on the Capitol grounds, refused to comply with the newly installed metal detectors outside the House chamber and, in the case of the Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Have in the past appeared to endorse the execution of prominent Democrats, including Pelosi, in social media posts.

“The enemy is in the House of Representatives,” Pelosi said in an extraordinary statement Thursday.

When asked to clarify what she meant, Pelosi replied, “It means we have members of Congress who want to bring guns to the ground and have threatened to rape other members of Congress.”

On Friday, Representative Cori Bush (D-Mo.) Revealed she was moving her office down the hall from Greene’s to the Longworth House office building after the two first-term lawmakers argued verbally over wearing masks earlier this month.

“Against the background of Taylor Greene’s repeated endorsements of executing Democratic politicians prior to taking office, Taylor Greene’s renewed and repeated antagonization against the Black Lives movement over the past month, directed against me personally , is a source of serious concern, ”Bush said in a statement.