() Lawmakers are getting briefed on security options following the shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers, one of whom died.
The man accused of killing Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and shooting Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife is now facing both state and federal murder charges.
Authorities say he had a list with dozens more potential targets, including prominent Democratic lawmakers from across the country.
The list is said to have included Minnesota lawmakers like Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar but also Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and even some lawmakers from as far away as Texas.
Senate leadership requested a briefing from the Capitol Police in light of ongoing safety concerns and increasing political violence.
Last year, the Capitol Police reported the second-highest number of threats against lawmakers in the past seven years, with nearly 10,000 threats.
In 2017, Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., was shot at a congressional baseball game, and in 2020, men plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. Then in 2022, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had her home invaded and her husband attacked with a hammer, and in 2024, two different people tried to kill President Donald Trump during his reelection campaign.
In just the past three months, Pennsylvania’s Gov. Josh Shapiro had his mansion firebombed, and two Israeli Embassy workers were shot and killed.
The security briefing lasted approximately an hour, with lawmakers on edge following the recent attacks in Minnesota.
Smith told the meeting was very productive, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said that lawmakers were given advice on how to protect themselves.
However, Cassidy also pointed out that it isn’t just lawmakers at risk.
“We have to recognize that across society, there are people who are deranged and angry and targeting folks like police officers or those folks in Minnesota, and so I do think you’ll see congressional action in terms of how to address that,” he said.
However, there are challenges in determining what that legislation might look like. Some House members have suggested to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., that he should increase the amount of funding that’s available for lawmakers to purchase security measures, including things like private security and bulletproof vests.
But lawmakers also have to balance security with accessibility. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told there is a need for increased protection and security, but at the same time, lawmakers don’t want to go on lockdown and want to remain available to their constituents.
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