Acting House Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett informed all members of Congress in a memo on Monday that some parts of the security fence surrounding Capitol grounds that was installed after the Jan. 6 insurrection will be taken down.
According to the letter obtained by multiple outlets, Blodgett told lawmakers that the authorities had determined “there does not exist a known, credible threat against Congress or the Capitol Complex that warrants the temporary security fencing.”
The inner perimeter fencing that currently borders Capitol Square will be moved closer to the Capitol building and the barbed tape on top of it will be removed this week.
Next week, law enforcement will begin taking down the outer perimeter fencing, allowing traffic on Independence and Constitution Avenues.
Additionally, “it is anticipated” that soon the National Guard will “begin to reduce its posture” at the Capitol in the coming months, Blodgett wrote.
The barriers were installed after a hoard of ex-President Donald Trump’s supporters breached the Capitol building at Trump’s encouragement. National Guard troops have also kept watch over the area to provide a speedy response to another potential attack.
House canceled its session on March 4 after the U.S. Capitol Police warned of a “possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group” that day.
