Fencing around U.S. Capitol to be scaled back

WASHINGTON — Security officials will soon scale back the perimeter fencing surrounding the Capitol in response to guidance from the U.S. Capitol Police that “there does not exist a known, credible threat” that warrants keeping the temporary barrier in place.

The fencing will be scaled back in two phases, Timothy Blodgett, the acting House sergeant-at-arms, said Monday in a memo to Congress and their staff.

An inner perimeter will be moved closer to the Capitol building this week, providing access to nearby streets and some sidewalks. Strings of razor wire atop the fence will also be removed and bike racks will be placed around each of the House office buildings. Blodgett said an inner perimeter around the Capitol will remain, however, as security repairs are made to the Capitol building.

During the late March, the outer perimeter fencing will be removed and Independence Avenue and Constitution Avenue will be opened for traffic, Blodgett said.

How to protect lawmakers, while keeping the bucolic Capitol grounds open to visitors has emerged as one of the more daunting questions from Jan. 6, when a mob attacked the Capitol in a deadly insurrection. Lawmakers from both parties have decried the fencing as unsightly and beyond what is necessary, but security fears remain high.

Five people died after protesters stormed the building trying to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s election over Republican Donald Trump. The former president was impeached by the House for inciting the mob, and acquitted by the Senate.

Thousands of National Guard troops also remain in place protecting the Capitol, but Blodgett said it is anticipated that the National Guard will “begin to reduce its posture at the Capitol in the coming weeks.”

Last week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved a Capitol Police request to extend the deployment of nearly 2,300 Guard members for about two more months because possible threats of violence remain.