North Texas House Members Say They’re Confident in Inauguration Security

President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday will be much different than any we have seen before. There are thousands of National Guard members in Washington to provide additional security after rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Not all members of the North Texas congressional delegation are attending the inauguration, but those who are said they were confident in the safety of the event.

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“I feel very safe, and I think it is important for members of Congress to be present to show these people that stormed the Capitol that we are going to have a successful exchange of power, a peaceful exchange of power, and there is nothing that they can do to stop that,” U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Fort Worth) said.

In a practice different from years past, Veasey, and other House members are only being offered two tickets each to the inauguration. Generally, there are about 200,000 tickets available for members of Congress.

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This year, about 1,000 people are expected for the event, including U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Denton).

“This morning I had to walk over and have a coronavirus test done. The cots were all out from the Guardsmen and women who had spent the night in the Capitol visitors center. But there is a pretty significant presence," Burgess said. "There is no question I feel safe."

In addition to security changes, all attendees will be wearing masks and be socially distanced due to COVID-19. There will be no crowd on the National Mall that's now adorned with 200,000 flags representing the thousands who won't be able to see it in person.