Congressional lawmakers appear to be at a crossroads on providing more funding for personal security after the shootings last week of two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses.
The House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee will meet June 26 to consider funding for operations on Capitol Hill. The security budget could expand by 22% over current levels, with the Capitol Police budget request for the 2026 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, at $967.8 million, Politico reported Wednesday.
With some lawmakers calling for an increase in security after the Minnesota shootings, the budget for the police force could soon top $1 billion.
But with Republicans in both chambers seeking deep spending cuts, lawmakers must decide if their security is worthy of further investment — and what it might look like.
Only a select few leaders in each chamber have round-the-clock security, and other members don’t have much day-to-day protection unless they’ve been deemed to be under an active threat, Politico reported. Members such as Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., want more widespread coverage.
Burchett on Monday expressed concern about “growing threats” to congressional lawmakers in a letter to the House Administration Committee, which oversees the use of Members’ Representational Allowance, seeking clarification on whether members can use their taxpayer-funded allowances to pay for personal security, the New York Post reported.
Also, Sens. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., stated their cases for additional security funding Tuesday in briefing with Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Jennifer Hemingway and U.S. Capitol Police, according to Politico.
But some members have been reluctant to take advantage of resources that are available, such as using MRA’s to buy security equipment and taking advantage of a program providing security upgrades for their primary residences, according to Politico. Capitol Police also have offered to coordinate some in-district events with state and local police departments.
Even though more than half of House lawmakers last year participated in the home security program, hundreds of thousands of dollars in security resources weren’t spent, with those not enrolled citing either a lack of interest or a feeling that the paperwork and approval process was too burdensome, Politico reported, citing two people familiar with the initiative.
“I don’t want to have security on me,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told Politico. “I’m a very private person. I like to go outside and be by myself.”
Mullin, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee that approves funding for Capitol Police, added that worries of political violence will continue to be a way of life regardless of the choices lawmakers make.
“I operate right now with a tremendous amount of death threats on us,” Mullin said. “I mean, if you go to my house, I have bulletproof glass on the bottom part of my house. … We have cameras everywhere. We have security dogs. It is, unfortunately, the reality we live in.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Politico he supports additional security resources but stressed that it must be implemented in a way that is “unobtrusive and non-interfering” with lawmakers’ work.
“I have no intention of changing the way I live or do my job because accessibility is part of who I am as a public official,” Blumenthal said. “But I understand how people are scared.”
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