New debate on DC fence
Lawmakers prefer access but want to stay safe, too
An attack near the U.S. Capitol on Friday that killed a police officer is expected to rekindle a debate in Congress over how to protect the nation’s seat of democracy amid security worries from lawmakers.
WASHINGTON – An attack near the U.S. Capitol on Friday that left a police officer dead is expected to reignite a debate in Congress over how to fortify the nation’s seat of democracy, less than three months after a pro-Donald Trump mob stormed the building in January.
Hours after a car rammed into two U.S. Capitol Police officers and a security barricade near the complex, lawmakers began musing about what to do next about the perimeter of the Capitol, where security fencing was erected after the Jan. 6 riots that left five people dead, including an officer.
“To think just about 10 days ago, we were removing the fences that created the border around the Capitol,” Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who was in South Carolina but had staff in his Capitol Hill office, told Fox News.
“I’m sure there’s going to be a new conversation about what that looks like going forward.”
The razor wire-topped structures were pitched days after the insurrection at the Capitol, surrounding the campus that tourists and residents like to visit. As weeks passed, they were deemed unnecessary and some portions of the barriers came down in mid-March. Fencing was modified to allow more traffic near the Capitol.
Then on Friday, a man identified as 25-year-old Noah Green drove his car into two police officers and then a barrier near the Capitol.
Green got out of the car and went after police with a knife before he was shot. He later died.
A U.S. Capitol Police officer, William “Billy” Evans, died as a result of his injuries. A second officer remained hospitalized Saturday.
Security around the Capitol is often contentious because lawmakers and visitors prefer an open campus, while security threats sometimes dictate restrictions. Lawmakers in both chambers had pressed authorities and officials about when the rest of the fencing would come down, and decried talks of permanent fencing.
Republicans and Democrats alike have proposed legislation to prevent the fence from becoming permanent. Del.
Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., introduced her version in February after the fence went up. Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., joined her with companion legislation last month. Blunt is the top Republican on the Rules and Administration Committee, which oversees the Capitol grounds.
Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who chairs a key panel overseeing the Capitol Police’s funding, said after Friday’s events he thought “the fence has provided some security. Is it perfect? No.”
Blunt and Van Hollen said they didn’t want roads around the Capitol to be shut down permanently with a fence like Pennsylvania Avenue, which runs in front of the White House, was after the Oklahoma City bombing.