House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is gunning to become the head of a projected GOP House majority, has sent a letter to Capitol officials asking them to outline their plans for a full reopening of the building by the first day of the new Congress.
Returning the Capitol to full public access is one of the commitments of the GOP if it takes majority control. It has been at least partially shuttered to the public since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.
CAPITOL GROUP TOURS SET TO RETURN AFTER LONG COVID-19 HIATUS
“It has been 2 years, 7 months, and 29 days since the People’s House closed,” McCarthy wrote in the Thursday letter. “That means for 973 days, the American People have been restricted from exercising their constitutional right to petition the first branch of government. … That posture is no longer acceptable.”
McCarthy sends a letter to Capitol officials demanding a “full written plan on how your office plans to fully reopen the House beginning on January 3, 2023.”@victoriaregisk and I reported that this would be a part of the GOP’s pandemic plans: https://t.co/RMNZ4aIimZ pic.twitter.com/BKGfO4NGWa
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) November 10, 2022
The missive is addressed to the offices of the Capitol Police chief, the House clerk, the Capitol architect, the House sergeant-at-arms, the House chief administrative officer, and the House attending physician. McCarthy assured them he understands the challenges of returning to full operation, including a personnel shortage in the Capitol Police force, and that his office is committed to supporting them.
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“Reopening the House is more than just a symbolic measure,” McCarthy wrote. “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people requires interaction with the people. It is for this reason that we must welcome Americans from across this nation back to the Halls of Congress.”
The Capitol has begun reopening in stages, with tours resuming in May. The White House returned to full public operations in June, and the Supreme Court began allowing public tours when it started the new session in October.
A spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) blasted the letter as a “desperate attempt to distract from the unmitigated disaster that was his party’s performance in the midterm election.”
“Under Speaker Pelosi’s thoughtful and deliberate leadership, the Capitol Complex has long been on a path to normal: with common-sense, science-based steps to reopen while keeping everyone in our community safe,” Drew Hammill said in a statement. “And in case he’s already forgotten, the Minority Leader is still the Minority Leader — and he shouldn’t count his chickens before they hatch.”
