Fence will return

Capitol fence will return ahead of Biden’s State of the Union address

Fencing ringed the Capitol for weeks after the Jan. 6 insurrection, and some fencing returned ahead of a rally last September.

By NICHOLAS WU

The Hill’s police department confirmed Sunday that some perimeter fencing would be reinstalled around the Capitol days before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and expected protests in Washington, D.C.

“Out of an abundance of caution, and in conjunction with the United States Secret Service, a plan has been approved to put up the inner-perimeter fence around the Capitol building for the State of the Union Address,” Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said in a statement. Manger added that he had requested support from other law enforcement agencies and the National Guard for their security preparations.

Fencing ringed the Capitol for weeks after the Jan. 6 insurrection, and some temporary fencing was reinstalled ahead of a rally last September in support of Jan. 6 defendants. Congressional security officials had weighed plans to restore fencing ahead of Biden’s joint address to Congress last April amid potential protests over the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd, but ultimately scrapped the proposal.

Law enforcement agencies have been preparing for protests in Washington modeled after trucker convoy protests in Canada against vaccine mandates and Covid-19 restrictions that brought traffic in the Canadian capital to a halt. The Canadian protests have drawn some sympathy from Republicans who supported their anti-mandate message. One group filed a permit with the National Park Service for a March 1 protest next to the Washington Monument; it claimed it could have up to 3,000 demonstrators in support of the Canadian trucker protests and against mandates.

The Pentagon has authorized as many as 700 National Guard personnel to assist the Metropolitan Police and the Capitol Police in an unarmed capacity through March 7. Capitol Police also said Sunday it would close some roads around the Capitol in preparation for the State of the Union.