Jan 3, 2023 - Politics & Policy

House GOP ditches metal detectors 3 days before Capitol riot anniversary

Jacob Knutson

One of the metal detectors outside of the House floor at the Capitol in January 2021. Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The incoming Republican majority in the House of Representatives removed metal detectors outside of the chamber floor on Tuesday, just three days before the second anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 riot.

Why it matters: The magnetometers were installed outside the House chamber in January 2021 to beef up security after the attack, but some Republicans have vocally opposed the increased security checks.

Eight Republicans and one Democrat were fined thousands of dollars for not passing through magnetometers required to enter the House chamber, the New York Times reported in 2021.

Driving the news: A rules package for the new Congress removes "Democrat fines for failure of Members to comply with unscientific mask mandates and security screenings before entering the House floor," Republicans on the House Rules Committee said.

"Members should not face unnecessary disruptions as they carry out their constitutional duties," they added.
Though members have yet to vote on the rules package, it's part of a broader effort by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) to win over party holdouts to his bid for the speaker's gavel.

What they're saying: A spokesperson for Republicans on the House Rules Committee did not immediately respond to a question regarding the removal of the metal detectors.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who previously inquired about carrying guns into the Capitol, said Tuesday that Republicans were turning the House chamber back "into the people's House" by removing the scanners.

Go deeper: Inside Kevin McCarthy's cliffhanger speaker vote

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House GOP ditches metal detectors 3 days before Capitol riot anniversary

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