The federal government will dramatically increase security protections for the joint session of Congress where lawmakers count states’ electoral votes, an escalation of government-wide efforts to prevent a repeat of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the Secret Service told the Washington Post. The Department of Homeland Security has designated the next electoral count — scheduled for Jan. 6, 2025 — a National Special Security Event, giving the once-routine post-election gathering the same level of security accorded to presidential inaugurations and political conventions. The Secret Service will take over security for the count. The designation, which followed a request from Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and a recommendation by the House select committee charged with investigating Jan. 6, 2021, is intended to unlock funds and law enforcement resources from across the federal government to protect members of Congress while they certify the election results.
Congress, which is in the midst of a battle over government funding, must act to ensure the Secret Service has enough money to secure National Special Security Events and protect Donald Trump and Vice President Harris for the remainder of the election, the White House Office of Management and Budget said. The DHS decision is the latest step in an effort by people inside and outside of government to prevent a repeat of the chaos triggered by Trump’s lies about the 2020 election. Some worry that members of the House of Representatives could struggle for weeks to elect a speaker, making certification of the election results impossible. Others are concerned that a handful of lawmakers could delay the seating of members-elect, leaving the people elected by voters to represent their district hamstrung, without any authority or ability to conduct essential business. Off the Hill, a specialized team within Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit committed to combating threats to democracy, has been conducting tabletop exercises involving individuals with congressional, political, and legal expertise to strategize for a range of potential scenarios.
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