House beefs up security funds for lawmakers
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) announced the changes to Republican members on Tuesday in their last conference meeting ahead of the August recess. The changes are effective immediately.
Johnson, who added that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) also informed his members of the changes on Tuesday, told reporters that the changes are part of a 'pilot program' over the next two months. After September, Johnson said, leaders will 'evaluate all the data points, see how effective it was, how it was utilized, and then make decisions going forward.'
Included in the changes is a doubling of the amount of funds members may use to install security equipment at their personal residences, from $10,000 to $20,000. A one-pager from the House Administration Committee distributed to member offices explaining the change said the boost was to 'allow for a more comprehensive suite of security equipment' and 'address rising costs in security equipment since the start of the program.'
Members have had access to those lifetime 'Residential Security Program' funds since the program was established in August 2022, when Democrats controlled the House and faced an increase in threats in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
There is also a drastic increase in the 'monitoring and maintenance allotment' for members, who would be allowed to use it to hire licensed and insured personal security guards. The allotment is increasing from $150 to $5,000 per month for the remainder of fiscal year 2025, which ends on Sept. 30, according to the one-pager.
'Security personnel could accompany the Member in their district or home states or protect the Member's residence. The Member would choose the proposed individual or company and certify that they are appropriately licensed and insured. Like the current Residential Security model, the Member would personally enter the contract and have the option of reimbursement or direct payment,' the one-pager said.
And finally, the House Administration Committee said Capitol Police will be directed to work with local law enforcement agencies to coordinate and provide additional protection for members 'should a threat arise,' and that Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan will be asked to 'draft a letter to the National Association of Chiefs of Police requesting their support in protecting Members.'
The changes come a month after a man shot and killed a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband, and shot another lawmaker in Minnesota, rattling lawmakers and renewing calls for increased security for members.
The U.S. Capitol Police said in February that threats against members of Congress more than doubled from 2017 to 2024. The agency said it investigated more than 9,474 'concerning statements and direct threats' against lawmakers, their families and staff in 2024.
'We live in an enhanced threat environment,' Johnson said, also mentioning an intern for Sen. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) who was shot and killed in Washington, D.C. this month.
'Just an unspeakable tragedy,' Johnson told reporters. 'This is a dangerous city, and it begs the question about what Congress might need to do with regard to D.C. and the crime. But all these things are related. We have to protect member security and everybody who works here on the hill, so be careful.'
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He echoed the themes raised in the Senate Leadership Fund ad, which noted Cooper's vetoes in the Republican-led legislature of measures popular with conservatives, such as banning gender-affirming health care for minors and requiring county sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration officials. 'Roy Cooper may pretend to be different than the radical extremists,' Whatley said. 'But he is all-in on their agenda.' Cooper first won the governorship in 2016, while Trump was carrying the state in his first White House bid. Four years later, they both carried the state again. Cooper, who grew up in a small town 60 miles (96.6 kilometers) east of Raleigh, has long declined requests that he seek federal office. He 'understands rural North Carolina,' veteran North Carolina strategist Thomas Mills said. 'And while he's not going to win it, he knows how to talk to those folks.' As with most Democrats, Cooper's winning coalition includes the state's largest cities and suburbs. But he has long made enough inroads in other areas to win. 'He actually listens to what voters are trying to tell us, instead of us trying to explain to them how they should think and feel,' said state Sen. Michael Garrett, a Greensboro Democrat. In his video announcement, Cooper tried to turn the populist appeal Trump made to voters on checkbook issues against the party in power, casting himself as the Washington outsider. Senior Cooper strategist Morgan Jackson said the message represents a shift and will take work to drive home with voters. 'Part of the challenge Democrats had in 2024 is we were not addressing directly the issues people were concerned about today,' Jackson said. 'We have to acknowledge what people are going through right now and what they are feeling, that he hears you and understands what you feel.' 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