House Speaker Mike Johnson announced heightened security measures ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s scheduled address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, warning that any disruptions inside the chamber will result in removal and possible arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a letter sent to lawmakers, Johnson said additional sergeants-at-arms and U.S. Capitol Police officers will be deployed throughout the Capitol complex. He emphasized a \u201czero-tolerance\u201d policy for disruptions, applying both to visitors in the gallery and to members of Congress themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cIf any disturbance does occur, the Sergeant at Arms and Capitol Police will remove the offending visitor(s) from the gallery and subject them to arrest,\u201d Johnson wrote. Lawmakers who engage in disruptive behavior will be formally instructed to stop by the sergeant-at-arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Netanyahu\u2019s visit is expected to draw large demonstrations outside the Capitol. According to media reports, several protest groups are planning rallies during the prime minister\u2019s appearance, prompting officials to increase security across the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered inside the Cannon House Office Building, temporarily disrupting normal operations. Capitol Police confirmed that multiple arrests were made, and Speaker Johnson said security would be further reinforced around the House Chamber and surrounding buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Netanyahu\u2019s speech is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vice President Kamala Harris will not preside over the joint session. Her office confirmed she will instead attend a previously scheduled event with the Zeta Phi Beta sorority. The joint session will be overseen by Senator Ben Cardin, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johnson criticized Harris\u2019s absence, calling it inappropriate given the significance of the address. Meanwhile, several Democratic lawmakers are expected to boycott the speech, echoing similar actions taken during Netanyahu\u2019s 2015 address to Congress, when dozens of Democrats declined to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event has also reignited broader political discussion, including commentary from media figures. During a recent episode of HBO\u2019s Real Time<\/em>, host Bill Maher questioned Vice President Harris\u2019s political standing and her prospects in the upcoming presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maher referenced Harris\u2019s 2020 presidential campaign and her public approval ratings, arguing that popularity and electability remain central issues for Democrats heading into November. He also mentioned several other Democratic leaders who are frequently discussed as potential national contenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Harris has not responded publicly to the remarks. As of now, she continues to play a prominent role within the administration while facing increased scrutiny amid ongoing election speculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With heightened security measures in place, congressional leaders say the priority is ensuring the safety of lawmakers, staff, and visitors while allowing the address to proceed without interruption. Capitol officials have urged demonstrators to exercise their rights peacefully and outside restricted areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The speech is expected to focus on U.S.\u2013Israel relations, regional security, and ongoing diplomatic challenges in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" House Speaker Mike Johnson announced heightened security measures ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s scheduled address to a joint…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9330"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9332,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9330\/revisions\/9332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n