Mr. Biden, Tear Down This Wall: Fencing off Capitol Prior to SOTU Hits Raw Nerve of Americans
The U.S. Capitol is seen behind a fence with razor wire during sunrise on January 16, 2021 in Washington, DC. After last week’s riots at the U.S. Capitol Building, the FBI has warned of additional threats in the nation’s capital and in all 50 states. According to reports, as many as 25,000 National Guard soldiers will be guarding the city as preparations are made for the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th U.S. President.
InternationalIndiaAfricaAn eight-foot black metal fence has been erected around the Capitol in Washington, DC ahead of US President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union Address. The security measure has prompted criticism and mockery from the two sides of the US political aisle.The US Capitol Police and Secret Service installed a security fence around the 175,000 square-foot Capitol grounds complex this weekend, triggering a broad spectrum of emotions among DC residents and US lawmakers.Speaking to the US press, some people said that the fence is “traumatizing” to children and making parents uncomfortable.Democratic Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) bemoaned the fact that the security measure is not only threatening to DC residents, but also poses huge inconveniences. For instance, it prevents deliveries and blocks access to first responders. According to her, the distance between the government and the people has grown, while the trust in government is “at historic lows.” For his part, Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey, Maryland, argued that US politicians should overcome division and discord, not barricade against it.To complicate matters further, the US media cites law enforcement officials as saying that there are no specific or credible threats to the Capitol. At the same time, US Capitol Police are justifying the measure by a “heightened threat environment” and widespread attention to Biden’s speech.It was earlier reported that the three-member Capitol Police Board voted 2-1 last week in favor of taking the security measure with William McFarland, the House’s newly appointed sergeant-at-arms, saying “nay” to the initiative.
AnalysisThe State of Our Union is *Garbled Mumbling*: What Will Biden Say in His Big Speech to Congress?11:00 GMTMeanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, Republican Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert mocked the Biden administration’s fence.”The fence is back up around the Capitol for SOTU [State of the Union] because Biden knows walls work on the ground,” tweeted Greene, in a clear reference to an ongoing southern border crisis largely neglected by the Biden administration.The congresswomen poked Team Biden even further, citing the latest scandal over China’s weather airship, dubbed a “spy balloon” in the US press.”Joe Biden is more afraid of Americans visiting their Capitol than a Chinese Spy Balloon invading our air space that could have carried God only knows what,” Greene noted.For her part, Boebert drew attention to the absence of any credible threats to the Capitol: “With no reports of increased threats, I can only assume it’s to ensure Biden doesn’t wander off after the SOTU,” she said, adding to simmering speculations about the president’s mental health fanned by his latest gaffe: “More than half the women in my administration are women.”
AmericasMcCarthy Reiterates Call for ‘Responsible’ Debt Ceiling Raise Ahead of Biden’s SOTU SpeechYesterday, 23:52 GMTMeanwhile, the US press admits that a security barricade had never been erected around the complex prior to January 6, 2021, when a mob of US protesters confused and discontent with apparent election irregularities stormed the Capitol building.The fence was first erected in the immediate aftermath of the DC protests and has reappeared multiple times since then. On a separate occasion, a similar fence was built around the US Supreme Court in 2022 after the release of a draft opinion showing that SCOTUS was intending to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.It is expected that the fence surrounding the Capitol complex will be removed on Wednesday, following Joe Biden’s speech. Still, this does not mean that the menacing barrier separating “We the People” and those in power won’t be reinstalled soon.
