Senate negotiators reach deal on $2 billion Capitol security funding bill in wake of January 6 insurrection

The top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee have reached a deal on a roughly $2 billion Capitol Hill security spending bill in response to the deadly January 6 insurrection.

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the committee chair, and Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the ranking Republican member, announced the agreement on Tuesday, the same day that four officers who were on the front lines of the insurrection testified about the horrific violence they had faced that day during a hearing convened by the House select committee investigating the attack. The Senate security supplemental funding bill will provide funding for the Capitol Police, the National Guard and other law enforcement partners to cover costs incurred during the insurrection. The legislation would help ensure the Capitol is protected in the future by paying for security upgrades at the Capitol complex. Funding is also set aside for expenses related to Covid-19 response at the Capitol and several other priorities.