(MENAFN) The U.S. Capitol Police is set to request a 14 percent budget increase in 2024, bringing the agency's budget to more than USD840 million. The request will be made in a hearing of a House subcommittee that oversees funding for the police department charged with securing the Capitol and keeping lawmakers safe. The proposed budget, which will be submitted by Capitol Police chief Thomas Manger, includes funding to pursue the hiring of approximately 800 more officers. The agency currently has roughly 2,300 sworn officers and other employees and faces routine retirements of veteran officers while still dealing with the impact of retirements and resignations prompted by the January 6 attack.
The budget request comes amid growing concerns of violent threats against members of Congress and during a third year of efforts to prevent a recurrence of the January 6, 2021, attack. The proposed budget of approximately USD840 million would give Congress' internal police department an annual budget larger than the police departments of several major American cities, including Philadelphia, Denver, Cleveland, and Tampa. It would also dwarf some prior years' requests, more than doubling the budget request of USD356 million made by the department in 2015.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, said that the police department faces a growing and pressing need to ensure protection for members of Congress in and outside of Washington, D.C. Given what's happening in the country, he said it's important that everybody be safe in the center of democracy. The proposed budget increase would help the agency maintain its force and keep lawmakers safe amid an increasingly dangerous political climate.
The Capitol Police have been actively recruiting to maintain its force as they face a series of retirements of veteran officers. The agency is also dealing with the impact of retirements and resignations prompted by the January 6 attack. The proposed budget increase would allow for the hiring of approximately 800 more officers to help the department keep up with its growing demands. If approved, the budget would provide the Capitol Police with an annual budget larger than several major American cities' police departments. The proposed budget increase is a response to the growing concerns of violent threats against members of Congress and the need to prevent another attack on the Capitol.
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