House Democrats 'barely' passed their $1.9 billion Capitol security bill after 'eleventh-hour drama'

In a narrow 213-212 vote on Thursday, the House "barely" passed the Democrat-led, $1.9 billion bill meant to reinforce Capitol security in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

See more

The bill's razor-thin passage emphasizes just how small of a foothold Democrats really have in the House, particularly after losing day-of support from progressives in what Politico called "eleventh-hour drama."

See more
See more

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) voted present, while Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) voted no, all reportedly due to concerns about funding the Capitol Police, writes Politico. The bill funnels $43.9 million to the Capitol Police, per Axios, who some dissenting Democrats reportedly believe may have been "complicit" in the riot. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reportedly worked to "appease concerns" in what became a "last-minute scramble," writes Politico.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
See more

Omar told Politico: "I am frankly tired of any time where there is a failure in our system of policing, the first response is for us to give them more money."

Among other allocations, the bill sets aside $520.9 million for the National Guard, $250 million for security on Capitol grounds, and $162.7 million for the reinforcement of Capitol building windows and doors, Axios reports.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will likely face difficulty, reports CNBC.

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.