National Review
Lawmakers are sending a letter to Pelosi calling for an end to Capitol Hill Fencing, the commitment of the National Guard
A group of 42 lawmakers on Friday sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opposing permanent military-style fencing around the US Capitol and asking that members of the National Guard sent to Washington DC last month be sent home. “We write with concern about security measures and the upgraded fencing around the Capitol, even as high-profile events such as the inauguration are over,” wrote the group, led by Representative Ted Budd (R., NC). “We are particularly concerned about recent reports that the fencing around the Capitol may become permanent.” The lawmakers write that they are “ready to have a fair debate about providing Capitol Hill Police with the resources they need to be better prepared without turning the Capitol into a permanent fortress.” “To this end, we urge you to remove the barbed wire fence around the Capitol and send the National Guard troops to their families,” the letter adds. “It’s time. It’s time for healing and it’s time to remove the fence so the nation can move forward.” Last month, 26,000 National Guard members were deployed to secure the inauguration in the wake of the January 6 riots at the Capitol, with a pro-Trump mob storming the building as lawmakers gathered to certify the victory of President Joe Biden’s Electoral College. Keeping members of the National Guard stationed in Washington, DC since then has cost an estimated $ 480 million, with as many as 5,000 to 7,000 troops remaining in the district through mid-March. “The Capitol is a symbol of freedom and our representative government,” Budd said in a statement to National Review. “To permanently turn into a militarized zone, it undermines our moral authority around the world.” He adds that a growing number of bipartisan lawmakers “believe it is time to remove the barbed wire fence and send our National Guard troops to their families, rather than disrespectfully relegating them to parking garages.” A number of units of the National Guard have involuntarily extended their deployment, although most troops will voluntarily remain in Washington. Two officials familiar with the plan told Bloomberg the deployment would cost nearly half a billion dollars and said the military could release the figure as early as Friday. The troops will remain in the district to protect the Capitol from what have been described as “security concerns about impeachment,” including the possibility of demonstrations during the Senate trial starting next week, Politico said. Security guards told the outlet that they had not been made aware of a specific threat, although federal authorities are concerned about the possibility of ongoing unrest, particularly sparked by far-right militias. There is also concern that unrest could arise on March 4, the date some QAnon conspiracy theorists believe Trump will be inaugurated a second time. Acting Chief of the Capitol Police, Yogananda Pittman, last week suggested putting a permanent fence around the Capitol building: backup troops in the vicinity of the Capitol. The group of lawmakers argues that while “some security enhancement was needed” after last month’s unrest, there is “no valid reason to continue with the same level of security measures.” “It is terrible that communist China is citing its citizens. gives more freedom to visit historic sites such as Tiananmen Square than there currently exists for Americans wishing to visit the Capitol Building in Washington DC, “the letter said. Representative Jody Hice (R., Ga.) echoed this sentiment, saying that security around the Capitol “must balance with and respect the fact that this still is – and always will be.” “We simply cannot allow the Capitol complex to permanently become a fortress so restrictive and unwelcoming is for the American public that only members of Congress and staff should be allowed on the property, “he said in a statement to National Review. He criticized the Democrat and also as “outrageously hypocritical” in that they felt comfortable with permanent fences and walls to protect themselves, although they “strongly object to the same kind of barriers along our southern border to protect the whole country.” there is a direct and immediate threat to the Capitol, militarized security must be de-escalated as soon as possible to allow a return to normalcy, ”he said.