The Capitol Police have notified congressional lawmakers that they can welcome visitors to their offices. But guests must follow certain security measures beyond just walking through metal detectors at the buildings’ entrances, as was the case previously.
According to an administrative memo sent to all members’ offices on Wednesday from acting Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett, the area will reopen for official business visitors starting on Monday at the Capitol and on Thursday at the House office buildings.
This is the first step to begin opening the Capitol to visitors since the pandemic shut down the complex to the public last year and the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol itself forced the Capitol Police to boost security measures.
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Although visitors can begin to see lawmakers in Washington next week, the Capitol and the Capitol Visitors Center remain closed to all tours, including member, staff-led, and public tours. In addition, the House Gallery remains closed to all visitors.
Another change is that congressional offices must provide a full list of names for appointments at their offices in writing to the sergeant-at-arms prior to the appointments.
“OBV access will require a Member and/or staff escort at all times in all areas until further notice. In addition, all offices must provide meeting and guest information for visitors so badges can be provided,” the memo reads. “This will enable U.S. Capitol Police to readily identify OBVs. In all cases, Members, staff, and visitors must maintain 6-foot social distance spacing as much as practicable when in the offices or the Capitol.”
It is unknown if names submitted to the sergeant-at-arms will be permanently databased, similar to the White House visitor logs. The Washington Examiner reached out to the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms for a response.
An individual lawmaker and/or staffer can only escort a maximum of five visitors at a time and must practice “meaningful social distancing while part of a group and must wear masks.”
Guests will be required to wear a “well-fitted surgical” masks for the entirety of the visit, but a surgical mask will be provided if a visitor does not have one upon arrival. However, if a visitor to the Capitol does not comply with the mask mandate, that individual could be subject to removal by the Capitol Police.
Additionally, the sponsor of the visitor or group of visitors to the Capitol must attest that each guest completed a “daily health survey” related to a COVID-19 screening and that the survey was negative prior to their visit.
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Lawmakers’ offices are also restricted from engaging in group meals with visitors inside the Capitol complex. The memo reads, “Please note that there should be no group meals with visitors and any dining should strictly follow the social distancing guidelines. Meals should be taken wherever possible outdoors or at a location other than the House Office Buildings.”
Some House members, though, say the eased restrictions don’t go far enough.
“It’s an invasion of privacy and completely un-American,” Rep. Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican, told the Washington Examiner.
“Every citizen has a right to meet with their representative without being monitored by law enforcement,” said Banks, the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, blaming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, at least in part.
“House Democrats have been pushing a narrative that Republican members themselves pose a security threat to the Capitol,” he said. “That is a dangerous lie. Speaker Pelosi’s politicization of Capitol security dishonors fallen USCP officers and divides Congress against itself.”
Rodney Davis of Illinois, the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, told the Washington Examiner he thought the new visitor procedures will confuse members’ constituents who want to visit not only their representatives in the House but also their representatives in the Senate.
“It’s obviously not the policies and procedures I want. I think we need to continue to look forward and get back to normal as soon as possible, but I also think that Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats were feeling pressure to allow visitors back in because the Senate is operating under completely different rules,” he said.
Davis noted, “We have a different security response on the House side of the Capitol versus the Senate side. And now, we have a different set of visitor rules and requirements, supposedly based on the COVID response. This remains frustrating to members and, frankly, is going to remain very frustrating to our constituents who are trying to come visit their House members and Senate members at the same time.”
