Putting a price on the Capitol attack: Democrats seek $1.9 BILLION in 'emergency' spending to cover the Jan. 6th riot, including $520 million for the National Guard
House Democrats have put a number on the staggering financial costs of the January 6th Capitol riot – and are seeking $1.9 billion in emergency supplemental funds to backfill costs incurred by the National Guard and Capitol Police.
The funding request, in the form of a supplemental spending request put out by House Appropriations Chair Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), funds physical repairs to the Capitol, pays overtime for D.C. police who came to help shore up over-run Capitol Police, plus $521 million for National Guard forces.
The Guard arrived the evening of January 6th, and ended up bolstering Capitol security for months as the Capitol campus became a virtual Green Zone.
National Guard troops stand guard along Constitution Avenue as law enforcement responds to a security incident near the U.S. Capitol on April 2, 2021 in Washington, DC. The House Appropriations panel released its $1.9 billion supplemental spending bill in response to the riot
The request includes $4.4 million for 'Wellness and Trauma Support, including six new mental health counselors and wellness resilience specialists' for Capitol cops
The Guard funding is for 'unanticipated pay and operations costs' for the force.
The request includes $66.8 million to reimburse D.C. police 'for costs incurred in their response to the January 6 insurrection and other costs of providing security related to the federal presence in the District.'
It also includes $4.4 million for U.S. Capitol Police for 'Wellness and Trauma Support, including six new mental health counselors and wellness resilience specialists and $2.5 million to reimburse for U.S. Marshals Service for trauma support.' Many police who battled rioters have spoken publicly about having recurring issues processing what they went through.
It also includes $100 million for screening vestibules at the Capitol and office buildings – although lawmakers have chafed at security screening outside the House chamber itself.
Another $163 million would go to harden accessible windows and doors after rioters breached them with poles and other devices.
The riot came the day Congress met to count the electoral votes. Various agencies sustained millions in costs
Trump supporters near the U.S Capitol, on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. The protesters stormed the historic building, breaking windows and clashing with police
The bill provides $43.9 million to Capitol Police
It provides $250 million for Capitol Security upgrades
An additional $40 million will go for prosecuting rioters, after a nationwide man-hunt that has relied in part on digital technology to charge and identify hundreds of people, after police made relatively few arrests the day of the incident.
To become law, the spending would have to be passed by the House and Senate, but its inclusion in the bill by the Appropriations chair gives it a substantial chance of success.
Other funds are for the FBI, the Bureau of Prisons, the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and even the Library of Congress – which housed Guard forces.
The committee bill calls for $250 million to harden Capitol security, with funds going for a Capitol landscape architect, retractable or 'pop-in' fencing, and security sensors.
Also included is $200 million for a 'quick reaction force' to respond to future events, a suggestion from the Capitol Security Review conducted by Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore at the request of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The force would 'augment' Capitol Police. 'This would be a ground force equivalent of the 113th Wing within the District of Columbia Air National Guard at Joint Base Andrews, which defends National Capital Region airspace,' according to DeLauro's release on the bill.
DeLauro said in a statement: 'None of us can, or should, forget the events of January 6th and the attempted ransacking of representative democracy.
'It cannot be conveniently overlooked for political purposes. Institutional and cultural reforms are needed to maintain as safe and open a campus as possible.'
Also included would be: $17 million for security cameras; $3.5 million to provide security for members of Congress; $10.6 million for security in lawmaker's district offices; $8.6 million for body cams for Capitol Police; $2.6 million for riot gear; and $2.9 million for Secret Service 'non-lethal capabilities' including 'expanded electronic control device training and issuance.'
The request includes some recommendations drawn from a security review by retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore (left). Appropriations Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (right) released the request
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