Republicans, Democrats united in distaste for Capitol fence, despite extremist threats

Bart Jansen
·4 min read

WASHINGTON – Fences are supposed to make good neighbors, but the security fence around the Capitol – and its possible replacement with movable barriers – has brought House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nothing but grief.

Democrats and Republicans alike have criticized the chain-link fence topped with razor wire as a “fortress” after it was erected around the Capitol after the Jan. 6 riot that left five people dead.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., posted a video Monday on Twitter featuring her walking around the fencing, which she called “Fort Pelosi,” and urging its removal.

“It’s time to cut the crap and remember this is the people’s House,” Boebert said. “Madam Speaker, tear down this wall.”

Republicans picked up the theme of criticizing Democrats for supporting a fence around the Capitol while opposing construction of a wall along the southern border with Mexico. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said Boebert’s video exposed Democratic hypocrisy.

Razor wire is seen on fencing near the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2021.
Razor wire is seen on fencing near the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2021.

“Tear down the wall at the U.S. Capitol,” Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee tweeted Monday. “Build the wall at the southern border.”

But heartburn over the fence is bipartisan, even though a formal proposal from a security review that Pelosi, D-Calif., requested has recommended mobile fencing that could be deployed when needed.

“The fencing is obviously a concern to many people, me included,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters Tuesday. “Whether that ought to be permanent, I think most people think that ought not to be a permanent reality on the Hill. But we need to make sure that we can in fact secure the seat of government of the United States of America.”

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents the District of Columbia in the House, introduced legislation Feb. 11 to prohibit the government from spending money on a permanent fence on Capitol grounds. The fencing erected after the attack has cost at least $19 million through the end of March.

“The Capitol complex has become an untraversable fortress surrounded by frightening fences capped with barbed wire, typical of authoritarian regimes” since Jan. 6, Norton said. “We can and must maintain our commitment to security without sacrificing public access by using the least restrictive means necessary to address security.”

A building and a symbol

The shared concern is that Capitol grounds should remain accessible to illustrate the openness of democratic government. Joggers used to run along the sidewalks. Children sledded down the hill when it snowed. Peaceful protesters arranged demonstrations on the lawn with props including shoes or flags or coffins.

On March 9, 2003, Jim Schulman, left, and Michael Beer, both of Washington, D.C., hold a mock coffin draped with an American flag near the U.S. Capitol during a protest opposing a possible war with Iraq.
On March 9, 2003, Jim Schulman, left, and Michael Beer, both of Washington, D.C., hold a mock coffin draped with an American flag near the U.S. Capitol during a protest opposing a possible war with Iraq.

But each security threat brings new safety measures. Bombings in 1971 and 1983 led to screening visitors at galleries above the House and Senate chambers, and then building entrances. The terrorist hijackings Sept. 11, 2001, led to the installation of bollards and vehicle barriers around the complex, and construction of the Capitol Visitor Center, where tour groups are screened before entering the building. Letters carrying anthrax sent to senators led to mail screening.

The insurrection Jan. 6 injured about 140 police officers and interrupted the counting of Electoral College votes as rioters rampaged through the building and vandalized offices.

Last week, acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman told a House committee that threats to members of Congress soared by 93% in the first two months of the year, compared with last year. From 2017 to 2020, she said, threats were up 118%. Federal authorities are also "very closely" monitoring the run-up to the president's address to a joint session of Congress for extremist threats.

To prevent another attack, a security review headed by retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré recommended retractable, mobile fencing that could be easily erected as security threats emerge and then deconstructed.

"In securing the Capitol grounds, competing desires for maximum public access and guaranteed security create a situation where neither goal is achieved," said the 15-page report of recommendations.

The House and Senate will debate which of the review’s recommendations to adopt and how much to spend on them.

“It's going to take more money, to protect the Capitol in a way that enables people to come here, children to come and see our democracy in action,” Pelosi told reporters Thursday.

Lawmakers praised Honoré’s briefing Monday but said security must be balanced against allowing access to the Capitol.

“No one likes seeing the fortress-like security around the Capitol,” Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said in a tweet Thursday. “And no one wants to again have a security problem in and around this symbolic place.”

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Republicans, Democrats agree on something: Hating the Capitol fence