Fox News has learned that House and Senate offices are growing frustrated over who can attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration inside the Capitol Rotunda on Monday.
Foxx was reportedly asked to “resubmit” paperwork from the congressman’s office as to whether the congressman wanted to attend and whether the congressman’s spouse wanted to attend. However, there is no “plus one”. And Mr Fox was told his spouse’s attendance could be “uncertain”.
One lawmaker said lawmakers were trying to get the governor and other state officials into the Capitol rotunda. But it was far from clear that authorities would be able to comply with such requests.
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Efforts are underway to allow a small number of people who were scheduled to sit in front but are not members of the House and Senate into the Capitol Rotunda. One official declined to tell Fox who the person with the “special status” was.
This likely means that few dignitaries or others will be allowed inside for the inauguration. One member of Congress who supports President Donald Trump said he was “glad” that the move indoors meant that lawmakers no longer had to sit outside in the cold for “an hour and a half.” He also noted that if the inauguration had been held outdoors, members of Congress would have had the most unpleasant experience. That’s because of how the wind blows across the platform and where members of Congress sit on the west front.
Workers build a stage in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., on Friday for the 60th presidential inauguration. Monday was moved indoors due to expected cold weather. (AP Photo/Molly Gash)
One congressman told Fox that 700 people will be heading to Washington for the inauguration, but now no one will be sitting anywhere. But the congressman said he had “not heard a single complaint” from people who were traveling to see the inauguration in person, but are now unable to do so.
President Reagan’s 1985 inauguration was moved indoors due to extreme cold and temperatures of 7 degrees, with a crowd of 1,000 people held in the Capitol Rotunda. My Fox colleague Aisha Husney reports that a total of 600 people will likely be allowed inside the Capitol Rotunda for this inauguration. Furthermore, Fox is said to be unable to accommodate 600 people due to concerns about fires. Sources say that number could approach 500 before it’s all over.
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Fox reportedly had specific plans to move the ceremonies indoors for the 2017 and 2021 inaugurations. Officials also rehearsed such scenarios. Additionally, Fox is said to have had serious discussions about moving the 2017 inauguration ceremony indoors due to concerns about rain and umbrellas.
Weather is the main reason for holding the inauguration indoors, but people close to planning the event have expressed safety concerns.
“There’s a heightened sense of Spider-Man,” said one lawmaker preoccupied with planning the event, speaking on condition of anonymity. But when Fox pressed various lawmakers and other officials, no one could identify a specific threat.
Fences surround the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Friday as preparations continue for President-elect Trump’s inauguration on Monday. (Fox News Digital)
However, multiple lawmakers contacted by Fox noted that there were multiple outdoor events with the president-elect before the July assassination attempt, and all events since then have been held indoors.
Security officials reportedly plan to set up what is known as a “geofence” around the Capitol to block or disrupt intrusive communications and drones, Fox said. At one point, there was talk of cutting off all cell phone communications while President-elect Trump was on stage.
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But he began to change his mind around this year’s Inauguration Day, when the forecast called for about 4 inches of snow to fall in Washington on Sunday night. I am deeply concerned about the thousands of people on the National Mall standing for hours in the cold, fresh snow. The inclement weather raised concerns about whether emergency personnel would be able to reach people who may have medical emergencies while on the National Mall. Another question is how the snow that melted today could refreeze and create a very smooth surface around the Capitol.
First Lady Nancy Reagan (center) watches as President Reagan takes the oath of office during a ceremony in the Rotunda beneath the Capitol Dome in Washington, DC, on January 21, 1985. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)
And there’s another element. It’s a snowball fight.
A senior source told Fox that there was actual discussion about a snowball fight disrupting the event if there was fresh snow in Washington. Planners were concerned it could “get out of hand” and cause injuries, one person said.
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This inauguration, both at home and abroad, could be the snowiest inauguration since the swearing-in date was changed to January 20 in 1937. The previous record for snowfall on Inauguration Day was during President John F. Kennedy’s swearing-in ceremony in 1961. Seven-tenths of an inch of snow fell in Washington that day.
And considering the weather, it was probably appropriate that poet Robert Frost spoke at President JFK’s inauguration.
Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior Congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based in Washington, DC.
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