Two years after the January 6 insurrection, fresh fears are being raised over safety for lawmakers and staff at the US Capitol, especially as Republicans have stripped away some of the security measures installed in the wake of the deadly attack on Congress.
House Republicans, who secured a narrow majority in the 2022 midterm elections, removed the metal detectors outside the House chamber ready for the first day of business of the 118th Congress on Tuesday 3 January.
The Democrats installed the equipment after a mob of extremist supporters of Donald Trump had stormed the Capitol in 2021 in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to prevent lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
The magnetometers’ removal came not just at a symbolically significant time heading up to the two-year anniversary of the Capitol attack, but also as federal lawmakers face increased risk.
US Capitol police reported 9,625 threats and directions of interest, which means actions or statements that cause concern, against members of Congress in 2021, compared with 3,939 in 2017. Metal detectors remain at the entrance of Congress for visitors and members of the public.
The Nevada Democratic representative Steven Horsford, incoming chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, criticised the removal of the metal detectors, citing increased threats against lawmakers.
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