House Democrats narrowly pass $1.9 billion Capitol security bill

A barbed wire fence in front of the US Capitol.Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- House Democrats pushed through a $1.9 billion emergency spending measure Thursday to enhance security at the U.S. Capitol in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot, despite vows by Republicans to stop it in the Senate.

The legislation was barely approved along party lines, 213-212, as several Democratic progressives bucked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and registered objections to the bill. Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar voted against it, while Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Jamaal Bowman of New York voted present.

Before the vote, Pelosi said the emergency spending “is urgent for us to do now.”

Republicans lined up against it. Republican Whip Steve Scalise’s office panned the effort in a release as Pelosi’s “militarization of the Capitol,” and the Senate GOP leader said this week he plans to hit “the pause button” on the bill.

Some Senate Democrats have expressed skepticism as well. Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy said he wants to provide money for enhancing security. But he stopped short of endorsing the House bill, saying Congress must make sure it’s making “smart investments in our security based on lessons learned.”

Passage came a day after 35 Republicans voted with all House Democrats for a bill to establish an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol by a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters seeking to disrupt certification of the electoral college votes that gave Joe Biden the presidency.

The security funding legislation would pay for retractable fencing on the Capitol grounds, more officers and training for U.S. Capitol Police, as well as more money for its intelligence division. It would provide reimbursements for the National Guard and federal agencies that responded to the Jan. 6 attack. It also includes $21 million for enhanced lawmaker security in Washington and in their districts.

Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, said the bill contains many of the recommendations of a post-Jan. 6 security review headed by retired Army Lieutenant General Russel Honore and, “most importantly won the endorsement of Capitol police to meet its evolving mission.”

The top Republican on the House Administration Committee, Rodney Davis of Illinois, said Democrats were forcing a vote after walking away from negotiations last week on bipartisan legislation.

Republican, Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma said GOP objections specifically include its $200 million for the creation of “a rapid response force with the D.C. National Guard” to help in emergencies. He said any such backup for the U.S. Capitol Police to protect the Capitol Complex should be under the control of, and housed within Congress.

Other Republicans said the security measures would turn the Capitol into a fortress and further separate Americans from their representatives.

Cole pointed to similar objections in the Senate, and predicted the bill as written is “destined for the legislative graveyard.”