(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- The U.S. Capitol building will soon look a lot less like a military fort and more like the center of legislation that it’s always been.
On Monday, security officials said they would soon start to scale back the perimeter fencing that surrounds the Capitol building. That move will be made after U.S. Capitol Police officials said “there does not exist a known, credible threat” that would warrant the temporary barrier being left in place as is now.
Timothy Blodget, who serves as the acting House sergeant-at-arms, wrote a memo to Congress members and staff on Monday that said the fencing would be scaled back in two separate phases.
This week, the inner fencing perimeter would first be moved closer to the actual Capitol building. Doing so will provide access to some sidewalks and nearby streets.
At the same time, the razor wire strips that sit at the top of the fencing will be removed. Then, bike racks will be placed around every House office building in strategic places.
Blodgett did said that this inner perimeter fence needed to remain standing around the building for now, while repairs are made to ensure the security of the building that was damaged during the attacks on January 6.
Once that’s all done, then then outer fencing perimeter can be removed, Blodgett said. Doing so will allow Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue to re-open to traffic. That is most likely to occur sometime in late March.
For now, the extra troops from the National Guard will remain in their place, protecting the U.S. Capitol building while the fencing is being removed. Blodgett did said that the National Guard would “begin to reduce its posture at the Capitol in the coming weeks.”
Lloyd Austin, the defense secretary, approved a request from the Capitol Police last week that extended the deployment of the roughly 2,300 members of the Guard for about two additional months. The Capitol Police made that request because potential threats still remain, they said.
But lawmakers are feeling the pressure to remove the security fencing. As recently as last week, many held closed-door meetings that focused on just that topic.
Matt Rosendale, a Republican Representative from Montana, said:
“They’ve got broad, bipartisan recognition that the razor wire and the un-scalable fences around the Capitol are not only offensive to many people, but they’re not necessary. That is what I wanted to hear.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell believes time has come for the fence to be removed, too. Last week, he said:
“I think we’re way overreacting to the current need. I’m extremely uncomfortable with the fact that my constituents can’t come to the Capitol with all this razor wire around the complex. It reminds me of my last trip to Kabul.”
Those comments came one day after 17 Republican members of the House wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that demanded to know why the fence was still necessary around the Capitol. She, of course, had no response for them.
