{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://norton.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/norton-calls-again-to-raise-height-change-structure-of-white-house-fence", "Norton Calls Again to Raise Height, Change Structure of White House Fence", "2014-10-23", "2014", "2014-10", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Following last night\u2019s White House perimeter breach, the second breach in less than six weeks, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, today called again for a higher wrought-iron fence, perhaps curved forward to prevent fence-jumping.\u00a0 Norton said that it is possible to increase the height and change the shape of the fence, while keeping it consistent with its historic authenticity, considering security concerns.\u00a0 At an Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in September, Norton asked U.S. Secret Service Director Julia Pierson, now resigned from her position, whether she had considered such a fence.\u00a0 Pierson said she would consider Norton\u2019s suggestion concerning the fence.\u00a0 Norton called this suggestion \u201ca common-sense solution to what seems to be an on-going problem\u201d and reiterated her call to action.\u00a0\n\u201cThe Secret Service has learned from the most serious breach in its history that dogs need to be on the job on the ground where the fence-jumpers want to be, not at an off-site location,\u201d Norton said.\u00a0 \u201cHowever, last night\u2019s jumper scaled the fence when the President was in the residence.\u00a0 When will the Department of Homeland Security or the Secret Service seek a historically authentic, secure wrought-iron fence to thwart fence jumpers?\u00a0 The potential effectiveness of such measures is clear, unlike the overreach of keeping the public farther away from the White House.\u00a0 These two steps \u2013 updating the fence and keeping dogs close to the fence \u2013 show that what we need is common sense and attentiveness to every security detail at the perimeter.\u201d\nLast month, following the breach by Omar Gonzalez and ahead of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the matter, Norton toured the White House perimeter to see for herself whether public access was being safeguarded or if the first target for fixing White House security was the public.\u00a0 Prior to her site visit, Norton sent a letter requesting a meeting with U.S. Secret Service Director Julia Pierson, who later phoned Norton.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\nFollowing the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the Secret Service closed the entire area around the White House to public access.\u00a0 However, Norton worked with the White House and the National Park Service to widen the road on E Street at the back of the White House, and maintained the access across E Street, a major thoroughfare for the city and the region. However, the road was summarily closed after 9/11 and the Secret Service has since found no way to reopen this road.\u00a0 Norton said that Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House must remain open to the public.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://norton.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/norton-calls-again-to-raise-height-change-structure-of-white-house-fence"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3286969624459743, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}