Van Duyne Joins Colleagues in Demanding Speaker Pelosi Remove Capitol Fencing

I recently joined 30 of my colleagues in sending a letter led by Rep. Jodey Arrington (TX-19) to Speaker Pelosi demanding the fencing and excessive security around the U.S. Capitol be removed. 

“The Pentagon recently announced that sending National Guard troops to occupy the Capitol Complex from January 6 to March 15 will cost $483 million,” we wrote. “In light of this staggering announcement, we are asking for a detailed justification for continued National Guard presence and clarity on whether taxpayers will be responsible for this nearly $500 million expenditure.”

“The events of January 6 were reprehensible, and we understand a temporary need for increased security,” we continued. “However, keeping thousands of troops in Washington indefinitely is fiscally irresponsible and sends the wrong message to our nation. The American people do not have the luxury of calling in thousands of troops and spending millions of dollars to build barbed-wire fences around their homes when they feel vulnerable. To indulge Members of Congress – particularly if it is at the taxpayers’ expense – with these excessive measures is insulting and un-American.”

On January 6, 2021, over 3 miles of razor wire laced fencing went up around the U.S. Capitol in response to the attack on the Capitol. One month and twenty days later, the fencing has not been taken down. It has been reported that the U.S. National Guard Deployment to the U.S. Capitol will cost nearly $500 million. 

To read the full letter, click here.