With just over 24 hours before President Joe Bide’s State of the Union address to Congress, the National Guard can be seen driving around in humvees in the nation’s capital, and the U.S. Capitol building has been fenced off.
Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger released a statement Sunday, announcing the plan to put up a fence around the Capitol before the State of the Union address had been approved and mentioning he requested help from the National Guard. The Pentagon authorized 700 National Guardsmen on Tuesday to deploy to D.C., citing the trucker convoys that are reportedly on their way to D.C. to protest Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
After the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, there were National Guard troops on the ground for weeks. There was fencing and razor-wire installed around the complex after the Capitol riot, where acts of vandalism and violence postponed the Electoral College certification process and forced members of Congress to evacuate the building. A fence has now been put back up for security measures.
“Out of an abundance of caution, and in conjunction with the United States Secret Service, a plan has been approved to put up the inner-perimeter fence around the Capitol building for the State of the Union Address,” Manger said in a statement. (RELATED: Pentagon Authorizes National Guard To Protect DC From Trucker Convoys)
WATCH:
DC reminds me of a military camp. Are we in Baghdad, Havana, or Kiev? https://t.co/2bujSk2yPJ
— COMMON SENSE💯%Trump! (@dachapman4) February 28, 2022
National Guard vehicles deploy on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on February 26, 2022, to provide security for expected truck convoys arriving in the US capital to protest Covid-19 mandates. – The People’s Convoy is expected to arrive on March 5, and the American Truckers Freedom Convoy is expected by March 6, with the State of the Union address by US President Joe Biden on March 1. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
National Guard vehicles and troops deploy on the National Mall near the Washington Monument (rear) in Washington, DC, on February 26, 2022, to provide security for expected truck convoys arriving in the US capital to protest Covid-19 mandates. – The People’s Convoy is expected to arrive on March 5, and the American Truckers Freedom Convoy is expected by March 6, with the State of the Union address by US President Joe Biden on March 1. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Security fencing surrounds the U.S. Capitol on February 28, 2022 in Washington, DC. Security has been heightened and fencing was erected around the U.S. Capitol ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
U.S. Capitol police officers gather on the east front plaza of the Capitol on February 28, 2022 in Washington, DC. Security has been heightened and fencing was erected around the U.S. Capitol ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“I have also requested support from outside law enforcement agencies as well as the National Guard to assist with our security precautions. We will continue to update the community about any information that may impact the roads around Capitol Hill,” Manger continued. (RELATED: Capitol Attending Physician Announces Face Masks Will Be Optional Ahead Of Biden’s State Of The Union Address)
Capitol Police will also close roads around the Capitol before the State of the Union, Politico reported.