On Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing on US Capitol Police funding.
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00:00Waiting on me, so I apologize about that. Right in the middle of votes and another hearing has been
00:06interesting. Anyways, looking for my opening statement.
00:14I'd like to welcome everyone here to the third and final fiscal year 2026 budget hearing for
00:19the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee. Today we have us with Chief, is it Manger?
00:26Manger. Chief, I know we've talked multiple times. Thank you. I'll be referring to you as Chief
00:31because that's more fitting to your title, so I appreciate it so much for you being here.
00:36I understand that this is probably your last hearing with us.
00:43So anyways, we sure appreciate you being here. We have Jennifer Hemingway, the Senate
00:50Sergeant-at-Arms. Thank you. Both you guys do phenomenal work. Both agencies work tirelessly
00:56to protect members of Congress and our staff and almost 8 million visitors to the Capitol
01:02campus each and every year. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women
01:07at the United States Capitol and the Sergeant-at-Arms for the work they do
01:11to keep us safe. The commitment enables us to do our job on behalf of our constituents,
01:16and I mean that sincerely. We couldn't do it without you guys. It was never more evident
01:22than when you guys are truly willing to jump in front of a bullet force and make sure we get home
01:28when honestly our family loves us no more no less than your families do,
01:34but it's a service that you guys have decided to do and I don't take that for granted
01:38ever. So thank you guys and thank you for the ones that you had the privilege of serving with.
01:46Now I'd like to mention at our first two hearings this year we faced, you know, we're faced with a
01:54budget environment that required difficult and important decisions on how we move forward in the
01:59coming physical year. While we do that, we can't forget that we need to support our agencies and
02:07their missions requirements. It's important that every legislative branch agency is responsible
02:12and good stewards of the resources and makes wise choices about priorities. The physical year,
02:18the Senate, this physical year, the Senate Armed Services is requesting $357.4 million, an increase
02:25of $46.6 million, which is above the FY25 inactive level. This request includes funding for innovative
02:35to innovations to enhance the Senate's physical and cyber security, state office operations,
02:40and member protection. This also includes additional FTEs to support operations across
02:45the agency. The United States Capitol Police budget request is $967.8 million, an increase
02:52of $161.3 million or a 20% increase over the funding level provided in the full year CR.
03:00The funding level would support continued growth and sworn and civilian staff levels
03:04and provide an increase of $52.6 million for general expenses. I want to thank our witnesses
03:11for being here today. I look forward to the productive discussion and understand your
03:16agency's priorities for the for the upcoming year. Now I'd like to turn to the ranking member,
03:20Senator Heinrich, and thank you so much for your patience, sir. No problem. Thank you,
03:24Chairman. I want to begin today by just expressing how disappointed I am in President Trump's removal
03:32of Dr. Hayden, our Librarian of Congress. As I said when she appeared before us last week,
03:39Dr. Hayden has served the American people with distinction, working to bring literacy to every
03:45single American. Her removal by the President is both unwarranted and, in my view, improper.
03:52Now turning to today's witnesses, I look forward to hearing from Chief Manger and Mrs. Hemingway.
03:58Thank you both for being here today and thank you to the dedicated professionals at your agencies
04:04who provide safety and security to the Senate every day as we carry out our constitutional
04:09responsibilities. It is through the dedication of your teams that the American people can visit the
04:15U.S. Capitol and witness their government in action. Chief Manger, I want to thank you for
04:21is it 46 years of service? 46 years of service as you prepare to retire from your current position
04:28as Chief of the United States Capitol Police. You served as Chief of Police during a difficult time
04:34and focused your efforts on the challenges that the Department faced.
04:38The Senate is grateful for your service and that of all the Capitol Police. Now I understand the
04:44Department is requesting $967 million, an increase of $161 million over fiscal year 2025 enacted
04:52levels, and this request includes funding for salaries, general expenses and reimbursements
04:57to state and local governments for law enforcement functions. As you mentioned in your written
05:03testimony, it is a substantial request and we look forward to working with your team
05:08to prioritize funding that is critical to the execution of the Department's mission
05:13and critical to keeping our officers safe. I look forward to hearing more about your fiscal
05:1826 budget request and Ms. Hemingway, as our Sergeant at Arms, you play a critical role as
05:24the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the Senate. I would like to thank you for this work that you,
05:30the work that you and your team do to support this institution. Your request is $357 million
05:37for FY26, a 15% increase over 25 enacted levels. I understand this funding will enable the Sergeant
05:45at Arms to continue its efforts to increase security, modernize IT systems and enhance
05:51interagency coordination. I look forward to hearing more about your vision for the Office
05:57of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper. Again, thanks to you both for being here today and I'm
06:02looking forward to this hearing. I'd like to thank Senator Rounds and Senator Murray for being here
06:10at this time. We'll turn to our witnesses for their opening statements. Please be as
06:14precise to five minutes as possible. Ms. Hemingway, I'll ask you to start.
06:22Chairman Mullen, Ranking Member Heinrich, Senator Rounds, Vice Chair Murray and members of the
06:28subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to testify in support of the Sergeant at Arms fiscal
06:34year 2026 budget request. The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper serves the Senate as the Chief
06:40Law Enforcement and Protocol Officer and is responsible for the Senate's physical security,
06:44cyber security, emergency preparedness and several support functions. Security is a significant piece
06:51of our day-to-day mission. In calendar year 2024, we addressed more than 5,700 requests for law
06:59enforcement assistance, a 35 percent increase over the prior year. Using authority and monies provided
07:06by this committee, we fund security equipment, monitoring services and physical security
07:12improvements for Senators' homes. We offer a data removal tool to make it more difficult for bad
07:17actors to find specifics about Senators on the internet. Our efforts extend beyond D.C. to provide
07:24security enhancements and upgrades for more than 460 state offices. Working with the Federal
07:30Protective Service, we have conducted 156 assessments and enrolled 56 Senators in our
07:36temporary armed guard service program. The S.A.A. provides other services, too. We spend $1.85
07:45million monthly on rent for state office space. 99 percent of Senate offices and committees
07:51participate in employee assistance and well-being services, and this was last year's statistic, to
07:58enhance staff personal and effectiveness. Senate offices and committees ordered more than 19,000
08:05printed materials and 8,700 flags from our printing and graphics team. Accomplishing our
08:11mission under a continuing resolution has required some belt tightening. To prioritize
08:16funding for projects and improvements that benefit our Senate customers, I instituted a
08:22selective hiring freeze, will not provide merit raises or a cost of living increase, and canceled
08:28a $4 million contract that was internal to the Sergeant-at-Arms for human capital management.
08:34For fiscal year 2026, as both of you mentioned, we seek a $357 million increase, a $47 million
08:42increase over our current funding. Much of this increase was also proposed in fiscal year 2025.
08:50Among our requests is a $5 million increase for the Office of Security, Emergency Preparedness,
08:55and Continuity. Because of increasing confrontations, disruptive visitors, and hundreds
09:00of potential threats against senators, I believe this funding is necessary for the safety and
09:05security of senators, staff, and visitors to our state offices. In addition, we ask this committee
09:12to provide $10.5 million in no-year funds. $5.5 million would establish a state office operations
09:20fund. This fund would allow us to pay rent if regular appropriations are not available.
09:26This fund could also be used to directly support leasehold improvements in federal buildings
09:31that are often delayed due to GSA's resource approach. This fund would be similar to the
09:36Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Fund established by this committee in the Legislative
09:42Branch Appropriations Act of 2022. Our remaining requests are detailed in my written testimony.
09:49Thank you for the opportunity to highlight some of the key pieces of our proposal.
09:53I believe this budget will allow us to meet the security and operational needs of the Senate
09:58and welcome your questions.
10:05Thank you, Chief. Chairman Mullen, Ranking Member Heinrich, and members of the subcommittee,
10:10thank you for the opportunity to present the United States Capitol Police budget request for FY
10:152026. Over the past four years, the USCP has experienced tremendous growth.
10:20Since 2021, there have been significant changes to increase the department's staffing levels,
10:24enhance our security posture, and modernize technology. So I need to acknowledge at the
10:30outset that the department's 2026 budget request is substantial. It's close to $1 billion. I
10:36recognize there are other police departments of a similar size whose budgets are not as large as
10:40ours, but we are not an ordinary law enforcement agency. In fact, our mission incorporates elements
10:46similar to the FBI, the United States Secret Service, and the Federal Protection Services.
10:51Moreover, while the officers that you see around our campus represent a large portion of the
10:57department's workforce, the full scope of our duties far exceeds that of officers and agents
11:02stationed at physical posts. Much of the work performed by the department's staff, both sworn
11:07and civilian, goes well beyond Capitol grounds. Significantly, many of the mission requirements
11:13simply did not exist four years ago. I cannot sufficiently emphasize that point enough.
11:21Following nearly 20 after-action reports and 140 total recommendations, the department's mission
11:27expanded exponentially and continues to expand. The department had to respond to and implement
11:33recommendations that spanned the gamut in complexity, from equipping every officer with
11:37riot gear, to developing department-wide policies, to expanding operational planning,
11:43and strengthen the department's training functions. As a result of these recommendations,
11:48the department has taken on new responsibilities and created new divisions and teams that did not
11:53previously exist. Member security concerns and major operational planning have driven the need
11:59for additional resources and staffing. The increased threat climate is perhaps one of
12:04the biggest drivers of the department's continuing need for additional resources.
12:08This past year alone, we saw threats against members increase to a staggering 9,400 in one year.
12:15The current threat environment has resulted in the continuation of sunset protection details and the
12:21addition of short-term threat-based details. It's resulted in increased requests for member
12:27escorts and security monitoring at regional airports, additional technical surveillance
12:31countermeasure inspections, which have increased by nearly 400 percent since 2021,
12:37member residential security assessments, which have almost doubled since 2021,
12:41and requests for law enforcement coordination assessments, which has increased by 159 percent
12:47since FY 2022. The department created a new standalone intelligence services bureau,
12:54which did not exist four years ago. Our reorganization also created an office of
12:59standards and training operations, which allows the department to centralize its training,
13:04policy development, and inspections functions. All of these were recommendations issued by the
13:10inspector general. The protective intelligence operations center is a state-of-the-art fusion
13:16center for the intake and coordination of members' threats, related investigations,
13:21and newly established residential security program. Again, another program that didn't
13:27exist four years ago. None of these components existed four years ago. They're all new,
13:33and they all are must-haves in our current threat environment. The department's FY26 budget request
13:39builds upon the accomplishments achieved over the past four years. It includes, as you said,
13:44$687 million to fund salaries and benefits, $255 million to fund general expenses, and $25 million
13:52in multi-year funding to support the continuation of the department's mutual aid program.
13:57I can't stress strongly enough that the department's protection responsibilities
14:01do not end at the capital campus's borders. The department is statutorily entrusted with
14:06nationwide protective responsibilities of members, requirements that it cannot undertake without the
14:12support and resources of our partner law enforcement agencies and that mutual aid funding.
14:19The department expects to reach approximately 2,530 sworn personnel by the end of FY2026.
14:26While this represents an increase in our staffing levels, the department needs to continue
14:31efforts to balance its workload specifically between uniformed operations and the protective
14:36and intelligence operations. By the end of FY2027, I feel confident that the department will reach
14:43our target sworn staffing levels. The department is tasked with ensuring that members, the capital
14:48complex, staff, and visitors remain safe and secure, and must do so on a campus that is
14:54entirely open and accessible to all. There is no other federal government office building with a
15:00comparable public access policy. I want to sincerely thank the members of the committee
15:06for your trust and support these past four years. It's through our joint partnership that the
15:11department has achieved such a transformational change. Thank you for the opportunity to appear
15:15here before you today, and I look forward to your questions. Thank you for you both,
15:21and thanks for the testimony. I'll skip my question for now and go to Ranking Member Heimerich.
15:28Thank you, Chairman. Chief, one of the things I want to ask you about is talk a little bit about
15:35the Intelligence Services Bureau and how the posture there has changed over the course of
15:40the last few years. Four years ago, one of the biggest failures on January 6th was
15:51our intelligence failure. We have gone from an agency that consumed intelligence. The FBI
16:00would inform us of things, and DHS. We are now a major player in the intelligence community in
16:07this region. We have folks assigned to different task forces, and we have folks working directly
16:13with the FBI and DHS. We not only still consume intelligence, but we gather intelligence. We
16:24analyze the intelligence. We operationalize that intelligence. It allows us to do better
16:30operational planning for things that occur on our campus. Most importantly, we disseminate
16:36that intelligence. We disseminate it to our own folks, and we share it with other agencies in the
16:42intelligence community. As you mentioned in your testimony, there have been just very significant
16:49increases in the number of threats to senators and members of Congress. I think you said in
16:54your testimony that there were more than 9,400 incidents in 2024. Just talk a little bit generally
17:01about how Capitol Police has responded to that, and what the increase in protection response
17:09looks like under the current threat environment. One of the biggest challenges was to keep up with
17:19that caseload. For some period of time after I got here, we had the same number of agents that
17:26were investigating the threats. Yet, the number of threats had tripled, quadrupled.
17:32We had to add, and we continue to add folks in our investigations division.
17:41Not only do I think they do a good job at investigating those cases, but where we were
17:46still falling short of the mark was in terms of our being responsive back to the reporting parties.
17:54The good news is that really through the efforts of the Sergeant-at-Arms, along with the Capitol
17:59Police, we have gotten members to report everything. This is good, but it's now up to
18:08us to make sure that we're responsive and that we get back to the reporting parties and let them
18:13know what progress we've made in the investigation, what we found out, those kinds of things.
18:17We, for a long time, have fallen short on that. We have our protection
18:24investigative intelligence operations center up and running 24-7 now. That
18:31operations center will go a long way in making sure that not only are threats acted on immediately
18:39and they get the appropriate attention, but that we are better at getting back to members
18:44with the information that we're able to gather through those investigations.
18:48I've seen firsthand the shift from sort of a one-way communication to more of a
18:56partnership. I think on behalf of a lot of members, we appreciate that very much.
19:02I understand you only have a few weeks left before your retirement. Of all the changes that you've
19:08implemented in the department, which ones do you think had the greatest impact
19:13on moving the needle, improving security? I think getting the appropriate staff together.
19:23If you look at the, and I read every single one of the after action reports in 2021,
19:31many of them pointed out that the Capitol Police were woefully understaffed and had been
19:38historically understaffed. Getting the staffing up to where it should be so that we can have the
19:45number of posts that we really need to have, so we have enough screening entrances to handle the
19:55folks that come here to work, come here to visit, to be able to respond quickly.
20:01One of the things I'm most proud of is our rapid response team, where when there's a disruption
20:07anywhere on this campus, there's a quick response by Capitol Police and it's an effective response.
20:14So I think that we're ready for anything, whereas before it was always, well, we've got a problem
20:20here. Let's find a few people that we can pull off of a post to respond. We are light years ahead of
20:26that with our operational planning now. I think that this campus is much safer because of it.
20:35Thank you, Chief.
20:38Thank you. Thank you both for being here. Ms. Simiwe, I'd like to start with you.
20:45You know, when we start looking at the budget, obviously there's a lot
20:49of concerns because everybody's got to have a haircut at this point. It's hard to find
20:55anything that we can increase because we have a 37 trillion dollar deficit and growing.
21:00At the same time, we've got to make sure that those that are visiting the Capitol and those
21:03that work here are also safe along the ways. And so we all have different, you know, things we've
21:09got to look at. Talking about safety, I recently had an opportunity to speak with Deputy Jason Bell
21:17and I brought up some serious security concerns to which I see are just major holes. And so
21:26before I really get into the budget questions, I want to know if you believe we should have
21:32like a complete wholesale review of the Senate security posture. And if you do, if you'd commit
21:38working with me and working with others on actually evaluating not just what we've always done,
21:44but what we can do different. Yes, Senator, I look forward to partnering with you in that effort.
21:50I think four years after January 6th and additional resources, it is an appropriate
21:55time to take a look at our campus security posture, see what additional vulnerabilities
22:00we need to address and perhaps changes that we need to make to our visitor management system
22:05in order to keep Senators, staff and our visitors who are here in the building safe.
22:09Right. And one concern, there's multiple concerns and one out is air out here that I have is,
22:16you know, during votes, the plaza is wide open and there's not a more vulnerable time than when
22:22members are getting out of their vehicles, walking to their cars. We were told that the one time that
22:28the plaza would be closed when the votes were called. Problem is, is you can go out there right
22:31now when the vote's called and the plaza is not closed. People are all over. People are going
22:36through with baby strollers, riding their bikes across with backpacks, carrying backpacks,
22:41carrying suitcases. And we understand what can easily be concealed in those. And I want, I want,
22:49I want the American people have access to their capital as much as anyone. But at the same time,
22:54we know there's a huge threat, especially a growing threat on public figures that are in
23:00public offices. And I think there needs to be a serious look at what we do at the plaza during
23:06votes, regardless of the House or the Senate's open, because you can't just close half of it
23:11because people continue to walk and continue to ride bikes. And I think that'd be one start.
23:18But there's other issues that I'd like to discuss too, because as I said, it's not just protecting
23:23us, but it's also protecting those that are in uniform and those that are out of uniform. So
23:28thank you so much for that. Can you explain to us the demand for personal offices and committees
23:35for additional funding for their technology needs? Yes. Thank you for the question. So this year,
23:40we are asking for an additional $3.2 million increase for the Economic Allocation Fund.
23:48The Economic Allocation Fund provides money to Senate offices and committees at the beginning
23:53of each senator's term or the start of a committee. Leadership and the institutional offices also
24:00receive that same funding at the start of their term. If you take a look back to six years and
24:06think about when a senator may have started, at that point, a laptop cost $600. That same laptop
24:12today costs on average $1,500. We now have staff and senators who are increasingly reliant on
24:19technology in order to do their work, and that trend will only continue. Coming out of COVID,
24:24many of us carry multiple devices. We now have a desktop, we have a laptop, we have a tablet,
24:32and we may have multiple phones. So all of that taken together has led to an increase in demand
24:38combined with increased prices, and this increase will help ensure that Senate offices can have the
24:43equipment that they need and require. Thank you, and I do realize that the Senate continues to ask
24:50your offices to do more and more and take on more and more responsibilities. With that being said,
24:54with a tough budget year, can you kind of send me your priorities? What are the must-dos? Yes,
25:00my top three priorities are the $5 million increase that we request for our Office of Security and
25:05Emergency Preparedness, and that will respond directly to increased threats against members.
25:11Last year, it was an election year, but we saw an 83% increase in threats against members of
25:17Congress and a 38% increase in directions of interest. My second priority is the Economic
25:24Allocation Fund that we just discussed, along with a $2 million increase for the Sergeant at Arms to
25:31buy Microsoft Enterprise licenses. Right now, using available funds, we have bought those licenses
25:39for Senate offices this year. We'd like the funding in order to continue. My third priority is the $5.5
25:45million State Office Operations Fund that I discussed. It would allow us to pay rents if
25:50regular appropriations were not available and also to ensure that we can more quickly accomplish
25:56leasehold improvements to Senate State offices. Thank you. Thank you. Senator Murray. Thank you
26:02very much, Chair Mullen. Senator Heinrich, I look forward to working with both of you on this
26:06committee. And thank you to both of our witnesses today. And I especially want to thank your staffs.
26:12They are dedicated and hardworking public servants. They keep this place humming, and
26:17they protect everyone who works in and visits the Capitol. So I want to thank both of you and all
26:23your staffs. We really rely on the tireless public service of men and women who do extraordinary jobs
26:28under increasingly difficult circumstances, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, weekends and
26:35holidays throughout the year. So thank you to all of them as well, particularly the men and women in
26:39uniform who guard our doors and patrol the complex and keep us safe. I look forward to talking with
26:45you about what we can do to make sure that we're providing the necessary resources
26:50to allow them to keep doing that job. Chief Major, I also want to acknowledge your retirement and
26:57thank you for your tremendous service. You took over as chief in a very dark and difficult moment
27:03following the horrific attack on the Capitol on January 6th. Thank you for answering the call and
27:09taking on that responsibility. And I do want you to know I am going to keep pushing for us to finally
27:16hang the plaque that honors all the officers who protected the Capitol on that day. We know the
27:22plaque was made, we know it is here in the Capitol somewhere, and I have yet to see one good reason
27:28why the speaker hasn't put it up yet. So I want you to know I'm going to keep pressing
27:32until we get that done. But thank you especially for your service. And finally, before I turn to
27:38my questions, I do want to mention, as Senator Heinrich did, about the outrageous firing of
27:45Carla Hayden in the Library of Congress, who sat before this very subcommittee just last week.
27:51She served honorably, she served capably, she made sure our nation's history was accessible and
27:57engaging, and that all of our communities had their stories told and heard. And that abrupt firing
28:03without cause, without notice to Congress, is not only an affront to this incredible public service,
28:09but it really is an affront to the independence of this Congress. So I'm outraged. I hope our
28:14Republican colleagues join us in that. Chief Manger, I want to ask you to give us an update
28:21on the staffing within the Dignitary Protection Division. These are highly trained personnel,
28:26they serve in critical and increasingly difficult roles. In your budget request, you are requesting
28:32additional protection agencies. How are you hiring the protective personnel and procuring the
28:38resources to support the division and meet your mission? Yeah, it's funny, when Senator Mullen
28:46asked the Sergeant-at-Arms about the top priorities, Dignitary Protection is number one for us in terms
28:52of the need and a priority in our budget. We are asking for, again, the ability to hire 288
29:02new positions. This allows us to continue the flow into the agency and the opportunity for
29:10people who want to go from Uniformed Services Division to Dignitary Protection without
29:16diminishing the uniformed officer's ability to continue to do their job. So that is the first
29:25way we do it. We are also bringing folks in directly to become DPD agents and hiring them
29:33directly and training them. And we're allowing for lateral hires as well. So these are strategies
29:45that we did not use before and it's helping us make progress. But we've got to get the number
29:52up to, right now we believe, 530 DPD agents is what's needed. And you touched on it. I mean,
29:58in terms of the hours that these individuals have to work, we've got to get the staffing up so that
30:06we're not making people work double shifts and canceling days off and all that sort of thing.
30:10And it's the DPD agents who are the ones that are constantly bumping up against the maximum allowable
30:16pay rate. And so, get the staffing up, we'll solve that problem. Yeah, and you and I have
30:20talked before about the problem of retaining sworn law enforcement personnel. These are really
30:25demanding, high stress jobs. And we, in recent years, we've authorized retention bonuses and
30:31student loan repayment programs. Is there any data in if that's been effective? Well, I can just tell
30:36you that our attrition rates are lower than they were before we had those. So I think that that's
30:44evidence. And just anecdotally, you talked to, you know, a lot of cops and that's keeping them
30:50here when, you know, especially at a critical time for some of these folks that, you know,
30:56would be at a time in their career where, well, I'm either going to stay, if I keep staying,
31:00then I got, I'm just investing not to stay through the end versus, or, you know, there are other
31:05opportunities somewhere else. So I think it's a very effective way to keep people here. And
31:10I know that this year we're going to hopefully be able to offer some retention bonus, but it's not
31:17going to be near what we've offered in years past. Okay, thank you. My time is out. I do have
31:22additional questions that I'd like to submit for the record. Thank you. Just for reminder, because
31:28the librarian has been brought up twice here, I really wasn't going to get into that in this
31:31hearing. But for the history of understanding the librarian and how this came about to begin with,
31:37if we go back to when the conception of the librarian was formed by Chalmers Jefferson in
31:411902, it was a lifetime appointment. It was a lifetime appointment until President Obama
31:48changed it in 2015 and they made the librarian where it was at the service and at the will of
31:55the president. There was no objection by this side at that time when that was taken care of,
32:00so that it was well within the president's authority to be able to let go the librarian.
32:04There is no separation of powers because that appointment for the librarian has always been
32:08appointed by the president of the United States. So just for historical purposes, I didn't want to
32:12get into it, but it's been brought up twice. I think that it's an important piece of information
32:19that's being left out here. Chief, you just said that your objection is to hire part of your reason
32:25for asking for the increase is to hire 288 new officers. Is that correct? That's correct.
32:31Your recruiting classes are full month after month, is that correct? They are, yes. Okay,
32:36so you're not having a recruiting issue, right? We are not. And really, if you break down the 288
32:44for 288 employees, you have 996 roughly overtime hours. It's actually over 996,000 actually
32:51overtime hours that you paid out last year to the tune of 84 point, let's just run a number,
32:5784.3 million dollars. Just quick math. If you did 288 employees and you times it by 52,
33:06which they don't work 52 weeks a year, but just times it by 52 and you give them 50 hours a week,
33:11that just comes up to 748,000 hours right there. So if we're not having a recruiting issue,
33:17then we have all your classes are full. We can get there underneath the current budget you have
33:23right now, put an additional 288 people on the force. They still are able to get overtime at a
33:28tune of 50 hours a week. That's including with the officers you have today, because your officer
33:32you have today, if you take that, you divide it up, they average right at 50 hours a week,
33:36four point 40.8 hours is actually, and I know this is different from protective service guys
33:42that are doing protection versus the uniform. But my point is, if we look at restructuring it
33:47rather than just asking for us to throw more money at it, it's saving the taxpayer dollars.
33:53But we can't do it because your recruiting classes are completely full. And you're only,
33:58we're only able to go through the recruiting classes at, you have two places that you put
34:07these things, that you put your recruits through, right? Fletchley and Cheltenham, Fletchley and
34:11Georgia and then Cheltenham. But we're limited on numbers there. Have we looked at having an
34:15additional place? Because obviously, like I said, you're not having a recruiting number,
34:18your recruiting issue because your classes are full. So we can't ever get to the 288 if we're
34:24at maximum capacity right now. So what's our option? One of the findings in a recent training
34:34needs assessment that we completed is that the facilities are the choke point for us.
34:43Right, but I mean, we looked at getting a different facility, a different place
34:46to send our recruits to. Yeah, well, we could, we could look at that. I mean,
34:50Fletchley has just historically been a federal law enforcement training center is where we
34:56train all federal law enforcement. But if they're not able to make,
34:59meet the need, then the definition of insanity is doing the same thing, expecting different results.
35:04They're not able to meet the need and they're not able to recruit fast enough. We have to change
35:09because instead you're paying out 996,000 hours of overtime, which is a tune of 84 plus million
35:16dollars. And you could easily get the other 288 officers in place with the budget you have right
35:21now by just cutting down people's overtime, which would also help their quality of life
35:26because they're not, they're going to be able to be home a little bit more at the same time,
35:29still get the overtime at 50 hours a week. And so there's, there's math here that actually works,
35:36but we can't do it unless you're willing to change and look outside what we've always done.
35:41Well, the change that we, that, that I'm dealing with is the growing caseload. I mean, this is not,
35:45this is not a static workload that, that doesn't change every year. It is increasing.
35:50The growing caseload, you'd need 280 additional, uh, uh, officers, right?
35:55And, and, and we're trying to make up for deficits that continue,
35:59especially in the dignitary protection. But you can't get there. That's what I'm
36:01getting at. If you can't, if your recruiting classes are a hundred percent full, you'll
36:06never be able to get there unless we look at a different place to start putting these recruits
36:10through a different class. I understand what you're saying, but, but we, we are making progress
36:15in terms of, of getting ahead of attrition every year with the 288 people that we're putting
36:20through. By what numbers? Um, typically, uh, our, our attrition numbers and I can get them to you
36:29are around usually 130, 140 people who leave so that we're coming out, um, just, just, just
36:37estimating we're coming out at least a hundred officers ahead each year. So at, at, at that rate,
36:43if you kept the current load in your current assessment, risk assessment stays, it'd still
36:50take you three years to get hired up. Um, I, I estimate that by the end of FY27, we would,
36:57you can't do it if your recruiting classes are full and your attrition rates at 134 and you're
37:00bringing in 220, I thought 220 some new recruits every year. You're, you're less than a hundred
37:06and you need 288. Just simple math there says it's going to take over three years. In fact,
37:10it's going to take three and a half years. Well, it's, uh, we're, we are making progress every
37:15year in terms of getting closer to the, but why haven't we looked at getting a new place to send
37:20the recruits is what I'm getting at. Just because we go, this is what it's like. I'm going in
37:23circles here. I don't understand why we're not trying to find new places to put the recruits
37:30through so we can have a higher amount hired each year. If we need 288 today, then what are we going
37:37to need in three years from now? You're never going to get caught up with that. If there is
37:41someplace that will give us the certificate that allows us to certify these police officers as
37:47federal law enforcement officers, another facility, I'm happy to look at it. I'm good with it too.
37:52And I think we can help you find one. Uh, we just need to start looking. I yield.
37:56Um, Mr. Chairman, I would be very happy to work with you. And, uh, we just happen to have a
38:03federal law enforcement training center in Artesia, New Mexico that we would love to make sure meets
38:09the requirements of the U S Capitol police. Well, honestly, let's look at it. I mean,
38:13if we want to take a field hearing there, let's go saying that adjust. They do great work. I know
38:18that if we had one in Oklahoma, I'd offer it to you. There's some very specific requirements for
38:23the Capitol police, and I'm not sure if we currently meet all of those, but we'd be happy
38:27to work on it. So, um, Ms. Hemingway, you serve on the Capitol police board that provides oversight
38:34to the U S Capitol police. It's also responsible for selecting, uh, the next chief. Uh, what's the
38:41status of that selection process and, uh, just sort of bring us up to date and, and talk about
38:47the timeline a little bit. Sure. Thank you for that question. So following chief manger's announced
38:52retirement effective May 29th, the Capitol police board engaged with the police executive research
38:58forum to assist in a competitive search. We are in the middle of actively interviewing a well
39:05qualified pool of applicants. We are on track to make a decision as a board by the end of this
39:11month and provided we do not deviate from that timeline. I look forward to introducing you to
39:16the new chief of police in June. Great. Uh, chief, in your view, um, what should, what should be the,
39:23the primary focus in the first month of the incoming chief's, uh, tenure? Well, I, I think
39:32that, um, depending on where they come from, uh, whether it's an internal candidate or external,
39:37but certainly, um, any external candidate, um, if there's two big challenges in this job,
39:45one, of course you have to know how to run a large police organization. Um, and some of us
39:52came in with, with that ability. Um, but then you have to learn, uh, Capitol Hill and how to navigate
39:59this of this particular environment. And, um, and that is like nothing else. And so, um, to, to make
40:07sure that you have, uh, the staff in place and, um, you know, the right guidance to make sure that,
40:14um, you're navigating Capitol Hill in an effective way so that you can be effective on day one when
40:19you get in here. And, um, that, that is, is what the, uh, a new chief should focus on if they don't
40:25have that experience already. Um, the sergeant at arms has also increased its focus on member
40:33protection, as you mentioned, including security concerns for our families and staff in your,
40:38in your testimony, you referred to more than 5,700 requests in 2024 for security travel and
40:46public events in broad terms. What is the sergeant at arms done to increase its focus on member
40:53protection, both here in DC, but also back in people's home districts and home States,
40:58both here in DC and in home States. We now offer thanks to this committee,
41:05the residential security system program. We have 41 senators who are actively participating in this
41:10program where we are able to provide a security assessment, work with the Senator on recommendations.
41:17And once those recommendations are agreed to, we cover the cost of implementation, monitoring,
41:22and maintenance. Um, I'm very proud of that accomplishment that we've made over the past,
41:27um, few years, including with this committee support. With respect to law enforcement
41:33coordination to help address the threats, we encourage senators to let us know about events
41:39that are upcoming. We coordinate and do an intelligence threat assessment. And based on
41:44that assessment, we recommend a level of law enforcement support. Um, thanks to this committee,
41:49again, Capitol police has money to reimburse state and local agencies for mutual aid law
41:55enforcement support. Um, if law enforcement support is not appropriate, we have several
42:00training classes and offer tips and coordinate with the staff to make sure that they are well
42:05prepared to support senators. In our state offices, we have an alert media, um, tool, which state
42:12offices, senators and spouses can use to maintain situational awareness about events near them.
42:18We also harden state offices, including ballistic class and secure reception rooms. We, uh, put
42:25security equipment in those places. And part of this budget does include funding for a life cycle
42:30replacement of that equipment. So those are just a few highlights that I would offer to you.
42:34Great. No, thank you. And, uh, thank you, Chairman. Um, I'm going to, uh, offer the rest of my
42:40questions for the record today, but I very much appreciate the hearing.
42:44Thank you. Uh, chief, I want to, something was brought to my, to my attention. We're talking
42:50about budgets and, and we're looking at ways to either increase or, or save money. Um, what is OEI?
42:58Office of Equity and Inclusion. And the purpose? The purpose, um, in, in, in the Capitol police,
43:05um, is to, uh, it's designed to promote a culture of teamwork and shared commitment to our mission.
43:13Um, we, we, uh, every member of the Capitol police, I want them to feel like they are
43:20part of the team and committed to our mission. And, uh, this, uh, this, our OEI reports directly
43:27to me because I think that, um, their, what they do is, is that important. And, uh, it's,
43:35it's less than 1% of our budget. Uh, it's a tune of $1 million for nine people is what,
43:42it's how much it costs $1 million. Yeah. Some of those are contractors and you have, you have,
43:47you have, uh, nine personnel, four civilian and five contractors. Right. That's a hefty payroll
43:53for nine people. Yeah. And, and we can certainly look at, um, ways to, to, uh, to pair some of
44:00the expenses down. What does your average officer make a year? Uh, well, the starting salary is,
44:06uh, right after you're out of the academy is, is, um, about mid eighties. Mid eighties. So,
44:11and so, so, but the average officer is probably making in the, in the, uh, probably just over
44:18six figures. Okay. So you could hire at least 10 new officers. Now, once again, obviously you're
44:23not having a recruiting issue, but I'm having a hard time because OEI sounds a lot like DEI
44:28and it's on the, I mean, when you literally go onto your web, your front website, it's literally
44:34there. And in fact, recently they're having a fair, uh, which looked like it was a fair for
44:40grade schoolers. And I had, I was going to put a stencil up and show it because it was actually,
44:45I mean, they're talking about having rifle tickets and giving away prizes and they're
44:49going to have snacks for everybody. And I'm going, really? It, it, it, I have a hard time
44:56justifying that. Well, we've got, um, if you look at it and it talks about where everybody
45:00feels comfortable going to, and it talks about talking about their diversity. And then it also
45:05has a chart on there and it shows how many officers are white and the ethnic groups that
45:11are there, but it specifically shows white officers. And, and I go, really, this is what
45:19we need in the workplace? Because that's called division. Because if we're trying to hire the best
45:22and brightest based on merit, then why would that chart even need to be in the OEI? Well,
45:29I will tell you that all over this country, people, um, every, in every community want to know if
45:35their police department is reflecting the diversity and the experience of their community. But also
45:41everybody here wants to be safe. And that's why we want to hire based on merit. That's number one.
45:44And if you, if you, if you heard what I said before, I mean, this team is designed to promote
45:50a culture of teamwork where everybody feels like they are part of the team. And that's important
45:55to me. And if you have an organization as large as mine, you want people to have, um, I haven't read the website.
46:01It's not what that says. They do a lot of other things. It does not say that. What you're
46:05describing, it does not say. I don't want to get in a tit for tat for you, but if you want to get
46:08an argument about it, we can. This is a good way to make sure. I'm not arguing with you. I'm telling
46:13you what the purpose of this, you asked me what the purpose of the team was. Why does it say that on the website?
46:18Because it doesn't. There's nowhere on that website that it says anything that you're saying.
46:23So you can tell me what it may supposed to be. I can tell you what the website is saying.
46:29So which one is it? It's what I tell you. It's because that's what I've given that team.
46:36Well, then you're not looking over it very well because they're spending a million dollars for
46:39nine people and you don't even know what the website says. I do. And their job and their
46:46fare that they have that they're going to have for whatever it is. It, it doesn't say that
46:52it comes. It says, come to make sure everybody feels comfortable and included. And then once
46:58again, it breaks down every race. I believe you're pretty diversified. I get along with
47:03your officers, love your officers. I think they're awesome. Get along with every one of them. I go by
47:09there's not a single time that I don't go by and I shake their hands and tell them thank you. And I
47:12joke and kid with them. And I don't see there's a diversity issue, but OEI is making it an issue.
47:21That is not true. Then why would they have a chart that showed every ethnic group there?
47:28And then it talks about diversity and it talks about what your goal is.
47:33When we talk about diversity, it's the diversity of experience that brought everybody
47:37to be on team USC. When you read, when you read your website, it doesn't talk about that because
47:42it starts to talk, it starts, it talks about diversity goals and your diversity goals are
47:48based on race. So once again, chief, you're not accurate. I don't, I don't believe that's,
47:53that's okay. Well, I can go back and I can quote it because it talks about diversity on female
47:56officers. It talks about diversity on different races and it talks about what your goals are to
48:00get there. So it does. And I don't, you know, if, if that's what you're at, then just own it.
48:06Well, it's not, it's not, we do not have quotas. We do not, our diversity efforts are not,
48:11oh, let's hire this, uh, this kind of person, not that kind of person.
48:15It says that you're wanting to, which I don't care if they, if everybody's on merit base,
48:20hire the best people. So I don't care about it. I'm not trying to get into tit for tat for it,
48:24but it does say in there that you're trying to diversify the force of 30% females,
48:29which don't care. I don't, it doesn't bother me. That's a, that's a, that's a national program,
48:34um, called 30 for 30, um, where the, um, uh, there, there's an effort to increase the number
48:41of women. So it is a quota. No, it's not a quota. No. I mean, it's, it's a goal. It's not a quota
48:47for us. Okay. Um, we have a lot of work to do. I want to make sure that everybody here at the
48:56Capitol is, is, is, uh, is safe. I want to make sure that everybody that comes in business and
49:02everybody that comes here to work goes home to their families and that's including all the
49:06officers. That's my number one goal. At the same time, I want to be good steward of the dollars
49:09we're spending and make sure they're going to, to that goal. Um, and I want to look at the way
49:16we do things just because we do things a certain way and we've done it for 10 years doesn't mean
49:22we can't get better at it. My goal as a chair is to do that and we can do that through one,
49:27if we're financing a program, I want to make sure it's, it's a program that's actually been
49:32effective in every way possible, every way possible. So I look forward to working with you,
49:36chief. I do appreciate your service. We don't always agree on every issue, uh, but where you've
49:42taken the pro the, the, the department in a few short years is commendable. I think there's a lot
49:49more changes that need to be happened or that needs to happen, but you have done a, uh, a pretty
49:53good job walking into a very difficult situation. So thank you. Uh, unless the ranking member has
50:00anything else to say, I'll close the committee. I just want to thank you both. I've seen measurable
50:05improvements, uh, to both of your organizations and, uh, that, that is not lost on me and I think
50:13it's not lost on most, most of the members. And, uh, please be sure that your workforces
50:19understand how much we appreciate that. This includes the legislative branch appropriation
50:24subcommittee hearing regarding physical year 2026 funding for the sergeant of arms,
50:29the United States Capitol. Please. Thank you, Mr. Hemingway. And thank you chief for testifying
50:32today. We appreciate the information you provide and look forward to working with each of your
50:36agencies as we continue to evaluate the security needs of Congress. The hearing record will be
50:40open for seven days. Align members to submit, uh, statements and or questions for the record,
50:46which would be sent to the subcommittee for close of business on Wednesday,
50:49May 21st, 2025. The subcommittee stands adjourned and I'll have a gavel. So.