Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiOn The Money: Democrats negotiate to bolster support for relief bill | Biden tries to keep Democrats together | Retailers fear the return of mask wars Here is who Biden is now considering for the head of the budget, Biden asks Democrats to defend a rescue package MORE (D-Calif.) On Thursday asked for more funding for Capitol security, citing the continuing threat of violence from “all of the president’s men” – a reference to the crowd of former President Trump
Donald TrumpHouse approves voting rights and DEA electoral reform bill places agent seen outside Capitol Hill during leave of absence Georgia governor Kemp says he would “absolutely” support Trump as nominated for 2024 MORESupporters who sacked the Capitol on January 6.
“Among COVID – where we need to have vaccinations more widely on Capitol so that many more people can come here and do their jobs – [and] the threat of all the president’s men out there, we have to ensure with our security that we’re safe enough to do our job, but not stopping [that work]”Pelosi told reporters at a press conference.
The issue of security has been in the spotlight since the crowd oppressed the police and forced the evacuation of lawmakers who were certifying President biden
Joe BidenThe West needs a more collaborative approach with Taiwan. Abbott’s medical consultants were not all consulted before he removed the mandate from the Texas mask. House approves George Floyd Justice in Policing Act MOREvictory at the Electoral College.
On Wednesday, the House advanced in the vote because the Capitol Police and the FBI had warned that some of the militia groups that participated in the January 6 riot were planning a second attack on March 4 – a symbolic date that marked their inauguration. of presidents until the early 1930s.
These conservative conspiracy theorists, warned law enforcement officials, believed that Trump would somehow return to the White House that day.
The threat of another violent attack on the Capitol unnerved many lawmakers who were targeted on January 6.
Pelosi on Thursday, however, downplayed the importance of the new security threat in the decision to keep the House out of the session on Thursday. She noted that Republicans launch their annual issue retreat on Thursday afternoon, and the House already had a short agenda to accommodate that event.
“I don’t think anyone should be encouraged to think that because some troublemakers may show up, we’ve changed our entire schedule,” said Pelosi. “No, we’ve only changed a few hours, and it’s largely going to accommodate Republicans who go to their [conference]. “
Still, several Democrats – lawmakers and aides to the leadership – said on Wednesday that the change in time was a direct result of the violent threats. And Pelosi acknowledged on Thursday that security concerns were a factor, noting that the logistics of keeping 435 House legislators safe is a more difficult task than ensuring the safety of 100 senators, who remain in session on Thursday .
“Frankly, we are many,” she said. “The Senate has entered, and it should be. We are at least four times as many people, and therefore all that implies in terms of the number of people on the Capitol – if there is really any troublemaker around.”
The comments were made at the time the Capitol Police asked the Pentagon to extend the deployment of thousands of National Guard soldiers, who have been stationed around the Capitol complex since January 6.
Pelosi declined to comment on the prospect of keeping these troops for another two months, diverting security issues from the Capitol to the officers responsible for it.
“We have to have what we need, when we need it and in the quantity we need,” said Pelosi. “But this is a security decision.”
Pelosi hired retired Lieutenant General Russel Honoré to lead an in-depth review of Capitol security and recommend reforms. Honoré provided Congressional leaders with a first draft of that report, Pelosi said, and the recommendations can be shared with the House plenary as early as next week.
The speaker emphasized the need to find a balance of security that would allow lawmakers – and eventually the public – to access the complex safely, without creating a protective barrier so arrogant that the building would become unusable. And that, she said, will require more funding in the form of a supplementary spending bill.
“It will take more money to protect Capitol in a way that allows people to come here, children to come and see our democracy in action, all of you [reporters] to cover what happens here safely, members must feel comfortable that they will be safe when they are here and not worry about what happened last time, “she said.” This simply has no place in a democracy. “
Despite the continuing threat to security, lawmakers on both sides have expressed concern that emergency security measures after the January 6 attack – not just Guard troops, but also the imposing fence that surrounds the entire complex – are disproportionate to the threat and send the wrong message to the country.
Pelosi seems to agree, saying that there are limits to the security measures that must be in place.
“I live in San Francisco. So people say, ‘Well, if you want to be fully protected from earthquakes, you just live in … an iron igloo. And then you are completely safe,'” said Pelosi.
“Well, who wants to do this?”