On January 12, Acting Secretary Gaynor issued the following memorandum to all DHS Components expanding the period of the 59th Presidential Inauguration National Special Security Event to begin on January 13, 2021:
"The 59th Presidential Inauguration was designated as a National Special Security Event (NSSE), pursuant to Presidential Policy Directive-22. The period of the 59th Presidential Inauguration as an NSSE currently lasts from January 19 - January 21, 2021.
The Department has received multiple requests, including from Congress and the Mayor of Washington, D.C., to extend the period of the NSSE up to a week in advance of the 59th Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2021. In light of these requests, recent events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and planned events in Washington, D.C. prior to the inauguration, I have determined that extending the NSSE to begin on January 13, 2021 is necessary to provide for a unified command and control and ensure the safety and security of this special event.
The designation of the 59th Presidential Inauguration for this period of time allows the full resources of the Federal Government to be brought to bear in the development of event security and incident management plans to ensure the safety of all participants."