Lawmakers calling for more security funding
By: Sudiksha Kochi
USA Today
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers on the Hill are clamoring for more security funding and around-the-clock safety measures after the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband left both Democrats and Republicans on edge.
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They are pressing for more detailed security brings and calling on leadership to do more to protect members of congress.
..... State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed in their suburban Minneapolis home on June 14. [2025] The man accused of carrying out the crime was reportedly targeting other lawmakers as well, including Representatives Greg Landsman,, d-Ohio, and Hillary Scholten, D-Michigan. It was the latest in a string of acts of political violence aimed at public officials and their families, including a hammer-wielding assailant who broke into former House Speaker Nancy Pelose's house and attacked her spouse, and a fire set at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's home. On June 16, [2025] a 25-year-old man was arranged on federal charges after sending messages threatening sexual violence against Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Nebraska Republican Senator Deb Fischer.
..... House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Democrat Representative Joe Morelle urged House Speaker Mike Johnson in a June 16 [2025] letter to increase lawmakers; office budgets to "support additional safety and security measures."
..... That allowance is meant to cover costs incurred as part of a member's "official and representational duties," which may include travel, rent, printing or supplies. The amount each member receives varies.
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The Democrats also called on Johnson to direct the House;s chief law enforcement officer to "take all necessary steps" to protect members across the country.
..... The Minnesota shooting has led some lawmakers to change their daily schedules. Scholten, for example, canceled a June 16 [0225] town hall meeting in her western Michigan district "out of an abundance of caution," according to a statement.
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Republican Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee is planning to send a letter to a crucial House panel responsible for authorizing lawmakers' security spending. a draft obtained by USA Today says he and his colleagues are "publicly identifiable at all times: and need "around-the-clock security services."
..... Data from the U.S. Capitol Police shows that threats against members of Congress, there family and staff have significantly risen in the past few years, from 3,039 "concerning statements and direct threats" in 017 to 9,474 in 2024.
..... House Administration Committee Chair Representative Bryan Steilm R-Wisconsin, and Morelle, the committee's ranking member, noted the escalation of threats in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on June 17. [2025] They requested that Bondi assign federal prosecutors across the country who would work, on at least a part-time basis, to investigate and prosecute threats against members of Congress.
..... The Department of Justice did not immediate respond to a request for comment on the lawmakers' request.