State of the Union 2023: Capitol fencing returns for Biden address

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/state-of-the-union-2023-capitol-fencing-returns-biden-address

U.S. Capitol Police are boosting security ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, including fencing around the Capitol grounds.

The fence was installed on Sunday and will be removed on Wednesday, following the address, according to House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland.

Intelligence officials circulated an email Friday maintaining the threat level remains elevated for the annual address, according to CNN. The bulletin maintains there is no specific credible threat but that “recent incidents targeting politicians and law enforcement agencies within the past month indicate that there is a heightened threat toward government officials." The push for more security comes after House Democrats raised concerns about the safety of Biden and State of the Union guests in the House chamber following House Republicans' decision to remove metal detectors from outside the House chamber shortly after taking control of the majority. The detectors had been added in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, riots.

“The GOP House Majority’s new rules have made the safety and security of the House Chamber, the very seat of American Democracy, at risk to infiltration and violence with reckless changes to necessary preventative measures,” more than a dozen Democrats, led by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), wrote to House and Senate leadership in a letter. The State of the Union address is considered a “National Special Security Event,” meaning the Secret Service is in charge of the planning and can utilize additional resources to ramp up security. The increased security comes as threats against lawmakers are up 400% in the last six years, according to testimony from Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger during a Senate hearing in mid-December. He said there had been 9,000 threats against lawmakers in the last year, compared to the roughly 1,000 threats against members of Congress in 2017. In an assessment by the department, Capitol Police found the number of threats against lawmakers is similar for both Republicans and Democrats. In 2021, Capitol Police opened field offices to deal with threats against members in Florida and California.