WASHINGTON — The Capitol Police Department could run out of money to pay its officers by the end of August, according to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).
Leahy, who is the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement Friday the department’s salaries fund will run out sometime next month, and that Capitol Police already exceeded their projected overtime costs for the year in late June.
“We did not budget for an insurrection, and without action the Capitol Police will go without payment for the hours of overtime they have incurred, without proper equipment, and without sufficient mental health services to deal with the continued trauma from that day,” Leahy wrote in a statement. “The National Guard, who poured into the Capitol from every state, now may need to cut training that they need to prepare for overseas deployments or response at home.”
Leahy called on the Senate to pass a $1.9 billion security supplemental approved by the House in May that would upgrade security at the Capitol and cover $31 million in overtime and nearly $8 million in hazard pay for Capitol Police officers. No Republican members of the House voted for the bill.
The emergency security supplemental, H.R. 3237, came in part in response to recommendations from the Task Force 1-6 Capitol Security Review led by retired Lt. General Russel L. Honoré. That review included a number of sweeping security recommendations, including adding additional officers and providing body-worn cameras for all members of the Capitol Police.
The bill includes almost three-quarters of a billion dollars allocated directly to defending the Capitol against future threats. That includes:
- $250 million for physical security upgrades, including retractable or “pop-up” fencing and security sensors.
- $200 million to create a dedicated quick reaction force to augment the Capitol Police, equivalent to the 113th Wing within the District of Columbia Air National Guard at Joint Base Andrews.
- $162.7 million for window and door hardening at the U.S. Capitol building.
The supplemental also allocates more than $4 million for Wellness and Trauma Support, including six new mental health counselors, and renames the Capitol Police wellness program the Howard C. “Howie” Liebengood Center for Wellness.
Liebengood, a 15-year veteran of the Capitol Police force, died by suicide days after responding to the Capitol riot. His father, Howard Liebengood Sr., had served as the Senate sergeant-at-arms for two years from 1981-1983.
On Friday, Leahy pointed out that it had been seven weeks since the House passed the bill, and warned of consequences to the Capitol if the Senate doesn’t act.
“I have been ready, and remain ready, to begin serious negotiations on a security supplemental,” Leady wrote. “If we do not act it will be a security crisis of our own making.”
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