Fence Around US Capitol Building Is Being Reinstalled Ahead of Biden's State of the Union Address

© REUTERS / ALEXANDER DRAGOThe U.S. Capitol, seen behind newly installed security fencing ahead of the upcoming State of the Union with U.S. President Joe Biden, in Washington, U.S., February 27, 2022.
The U.S. Capitol, seen behind newly installed security fencing ahead of the upcoming State of the Union with U.S. President Joe Biden, in Washington, U.S., February 27, 2022. - Sputnik International, 1920, 28.02.2022
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In the past year, following the January 6 siege of the Capitol, fencing was erected around the building, and it was reinstalled before a September protest in favor of those charged in connection with the Capitol riot.
For US President Joe Biden's State of the Union address this week, the Capitol fence will be re-erected.
Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger stated on Sunday that an inner-perimeter fence will be constructed around the Capitol. According to the police chief, the decision was made "out of an abundance of caution," as well as "in conjunction with the United States Secret Service."
"Our Department’s mission to protect the United States Congress, the Capitol, and the legislative process remains unwavering," Manger said. "In light of the upcoming State of the Union Address, and the possibility of demonstrations in the next couple of weeks, we have been working closely with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners on a security plan to prevent any disruption to the important work of Congress."
According to the US media reports, authorities are beefing up security in anticipation of possibly disruptive truck convoys arriving in Washington. Truckers recently shut down parts of Ottawa for weeks in protest of COVID-19 mandates, a protest that reverberated in conservative circles in the United States.
Earlier this month, Capitol Police said that they were "aware of plans for a series of truck convoys arriving in Washington, DC around the time of the State of the Union" and were preparing extra security. At the time, the agency stated that restoring the Capitol building fence was still an option, but that no decision had been taken.
The National Guard stated on Wednesday that up to 700 servicemembers will be available to assist local DC authorities in managing demonstrations until March 7. According to Capitol Police, a number of highways in the nation's capital will be closed for Tuesday's address, but the closures are "not related to the potential truck and vehicle convoys," as they are the same as those put in place in previous years.
Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis took to Twitter on Monday to tell his followers that the Biden Administration had requested him to send the State National Guard to DC, but DeSantis had refused.

"Last week, the Biden Administration requested the assistance of State National Guards to deploy to Washington DC. I have rejected this request -- there will be no Florida National Guard sent to DC for Biden's State of the Union," he tweeted.

Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address tomorrow., According to the known information about the contents of the speech, the president's intentions for 2022 will be laid out, which will also highlight the hurdles the government faced in its first year.
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