Janice R. Andrews
As the very important 2024 election draws to a close, federal officials are taking steps that have never been done before to make sure the Capitol is safe on January 6, 2025. Today is a National Special Security Event (NSSE) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is an important day because Congress will confirm the results of the presidential election. This choice was made after the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. It was a terrible day in American history, and leaders are determined that it will not happen again.
An event with national special security
On January 6, 2025, the official results of the 2024 election will be certified. At that point, either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump could be named president. In order to get ready, DHS has given security duties to the Secret Service, which has replaced the U.S. Capitol Police. This is meant to make safety measures more centralized and effective.
As an official NSSE, the event will have stricter security measures, such as a fence around the Capitol that can’t be moved, the D.C. National Guard being called up, and more police officers being deputized across Washington, D.C. Having NSSE status also gives you access to more government funds and tools. This is common at big events like the Super Bowl and presidential inaugurations.
Lessons from 2021: Making sure safety
An in-depth look at what went wrong on January 6, 2021, when a crowd stormed the Capitol to stop the confirmation of Joe Biden’s election win over Donald Trump led to the decision to step up security. A Senate review found that the government, the military, and law enforcement agencies all made big mistakes that day that made things even more chaotic. The Capitol Police were overworked, and the fact that the National Guard wasn’t sent out until later made the security problem even worse.
The Senate report made many security suggestions. It said that the U.S. Capitol Police Chief should have more power to ask for help from the National Guard and that Capitol Police should create a central surveillance unit. These changes are meant to fix the problems with intelligence that meant they couldn’t guess what the violent mob would do, even though insurrectionist plans were posted online.
Representative Jamie Raskin, who has been involved in security talks for the upcoming approval, said, “We are now trying to get ready for every possible outcome we can think of.”
Trump’s continued power and worries about another uprising
Even though Donald Trump is once again positioning himself as a key figure in the future race, people are still worried about what he says. According to Trump, the 2024 election might not be real, just like the 2020 election he said it could be stolen from him. His posts on social media have made things worse by threatening strong punishments for people he thinks “cheated” in the election if he wins.
Trump’s refusal to say sorry for what happened on January 6, 2021, makes people even more afraid that his followers will act violently again if the election results don’t go their way. In a recent discussion with Kamala Harris, Trump repeated what he had done in the past and didn’t feel bad about his part in the attack on the Capitol.
Once the 2020 election was over, Trump’s team used lawsuits, phone calls, and public pressure to try to change the results in key swing states. Based on what he says and does, the situation after the 2024 election could be just as dangerous, especially if the results are close.
Worries About Election Day Safety
Lawmakers, poll officials, and police are all getting ready for the chance of trouble on January 6 and right after the election in November 2024. Officials are getting ready for situations in which protesters could target or even take over voting places, especially in states that are close in the election.
Concerns reach all the way to Congress on a national level. Both the House and the Senate will be controlled by the winners in 2024. In the House, where Republicans currently hold a two-seat majority, the stakes are especially high. They will be sworn in on January 3, 2025, which is only three days before the approval. Some people are worried that a late swearing-in or a long fight to choose a Speaker could mess up the certification process.
As Speaker of the House in 2020, Nancy Pelosi was very important in certifying the election results. Now, she has given a strong warning: “Hakeem Jeffries must have that gavel on January 6th,” Pelosi said, referring to the House Democratic leader. She thinks that strong leadership in the House could make a big difference in keeping things from getting out of hand, just like it did when she and Vice President Mike Pence confirmed Biden’s win in 2021.
Better preparedness for law enforcement
Thomas Manger, who became chief of the U.S. Capitol Police six months after the January 6 uprising, has stressed that plans are well under way to make the Capitol safe in 2025. The Capitol Police force now has 2,200 officers, 250 more than it did four years ago. If needed, they can call in extra officers from other police departments.
The D.C. National Guard is also working closely with Capitol Police to make sure that any threats are dealt with quickly. Manger stressed how important it is to be alert and said that intelligence agencies are listening to online talk and noticing threats that were similar to the one that happened on January 6. Manger said, “It would be silly to ignore that and say it will never happen again.”
The government’s reaction is also helped by the fact that police from other areas are willing to help. For example, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Congress in July 2023, 200 police officers from New York City were sent to help with security. This shows how ready different agencies are to work together.
A National Struggle to Protect Democracy
The declaration of the election on January 6, 2025, is a very important test for American democracy. The country is paying close attention as government agencies, politicians, and law enforcement work to make sure that the violence of January 6, 2021, doesn’t happen again. The hope is that this time, strong planning will guarantee a safe and peaceful handover of power, no matter how the election turns out.
