Nancy Pelosi says she's 'confident' in the Capitol's security ahead of a possible DC truckers convoy

• Nancy Pelosi says she's "confident" in the Capitol's security ahead of protests that could swarm Washington.
• DC and regional officials are gearing up for a convoy that aims to take over Washington much as Canadians did to Ottawa.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday that she is "confident" in the Capitol's security ahead of expected trucker protests, some of which have expressed hopes of grinding the nation's capital to a halt around President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on March 1.

"They have a good handle on what the expectation is," Pelosi told reporters of the local law enforcement's preparations when asked about security considerations. "I feel confident."

The Pentagon on Tuesday approved a request from US Capitol Police and DC officials to deploy National Guard troops to help control traffic. The Associated Press reports that 400 DC National Guard members will be joined by another 300 Guard members from other states.

Organizers, for their part, have cited Canadian protesters ability to gridlock Ottawa for weeks as a model for what they hope to achieve.

The People's Convoy aims to unite a transcontinental movement that will arrive in DC on March 5, which would be just days after Biden's address. There are some protests that may take place around DC on Tuesday when Biden is slated to speak. Organizers have said it will be a "law-abiding convoy" that will call for the "lifting of all mandates." Bob Bolus, who owns a truck parts and towing business in Scranton, told Fox 5 that his goal is to organize a giant "giant boa constrictor" around the DC Metro area with his separate convoy. So far, Bolus' convoy doesn't seem to have much support.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the unprecedented decision to invoke sweeping security powers after a convoy took over large parts of his nation's capital, especially around Canadian Parliament. Right-wing lawmakers and media both in the US and around the world have paid close attention to the Canadian protest.

Meanwhile, the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol looms over everything.

Both the Capitol's top security officials and the then-chief of the US Capitol Police resigned in the wake of the worst attack on the Capitol since the British torched Washington during the War of 1812. The Pentagon later approved the longest deployment of troops to the Capitol since the Civil War and a miles-long fence was erected around the complex for months.

Pelosi told reporters that it's not up to her whether the fence returns, which reportedly is under consideration. The Capitol itself remains largely closed to the public.