Security officials will soon scale back fencing that has circled the US Capitol and cut off the entire area to pedestrians and vehicles since a mob attacked the building on January 6.
Timothy Blodgett, the acting House serjeant-at-arms, says in a memo to members of Congress that the fencing will be scaled back in two phases in response to guidance from the Capitol Police that "there does not exist a known, credible threat" that warrants keeping the temporary barrier in place.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says in a letter to colleagues the Capitol Police "will continue to monitor the threat posture, and plans will be adjusted if and as needed".
How to protect lawmakers, while keeping the Capitol grounds open to visitors, has emerged as one of the more daunting questions from the deadly insurrection.
Democrat and Republican lawmakers have decried the fencing as unsightly, expensive and beyond what is necessary, even though security fears remain high.
Members of Congress have described their unease at arriving for work each day in what can feel like a war zone, with checkpoints and National Guard troops lining the perimeter fence.
The absence of tourists snapping photos of the Capitol dome or constituents meeting representatives is an emotional loss on top of coronavirus restrictions, they say. The security perimeter extends far beyond the Capitol itself through neighbouring parks and office buildings.
Lawmakers are also debating whether to launch a bipartisan commission to study the massive security failures that occurred January 6 and how to respond to them long term.
Pelosi on Monday released a draft proposal for a commission that Republicans rejected last month, writing in a letter to colleagues that "we must get to the truth of how the January 6 assault happened, and we must ensure that it cannot happen again".
Five people died after protesters stormed the building trying to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's election over Republican Donald Trump. Trump was impeached by the House for inciting the mob, then acquitted by the Senate.
Australian Associated Press
