The Supreme Court is asking Congress for $6.5 million to begin designing a new visitor security screening facility outside its Capitol Hill building as threats against the justices continue to climb.
The request is part of the court’s proposed $228 million budget for fiscal 2027, an increase of about $20 million over current funding. The project would relocate visitor screening outside the courthouse, similar to the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
The funding request comes as Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett are scheduled to testify Tuesday before House and Senate appropriations panels, marking the first time Supreme Court justices have appeared before Congress to defend the court’s budget since 2019.
The proposal also seeks $14.6 million to continue expanding the Supreme Court Police force and to enhance security for justices traveling outside Washington. Another budget request would fund a regional command post outside the court complex that the documents say would “improve reaction time in case of an emergency.”
The court is also asking for $2.3 million to hire engineers and software developers to protect its systems from “quickly evolving cyberthreats.”
