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Authorities were taking the step to protect President Joe
Biden's State of the Union speech scheduled for Tuesday and to
"prevent any disruption to the important work of Congress," U.S.
Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said.
The fencing was previously installed after supporters of former
President Donald Trump rampaged through the Capitol on Jan. 6,
2021, in a failed effort to block Congress from formally
certifying his 2020 election loss to Biden. It was removed last
July.
A group of American truckers began a cross-country trip from
California to Washington last week, inspired by Canadian
protests against COVID-19 restrictions that paralyzed Ottawa for
three weeks.
More than two dozen 18-wheeler trucks, along with about 50
pickups and recreational vehicles, left Adelanto, California,
about 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Los Angeles, last
Wednesday. This self-styled "People's Convoy" is bound for the
Beltway, a major highway encircling the U.S. capital, to demand
an end to COVID-19 vaccine and mask requirements.
The Pentagon previously said it approved hundreds of National
Guard troops and tactical vehicles to help at traffic posts in
light of the protest.
(Reporting by Joel Schectman; Editing by Will Dunham)
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