Congress' fight over security erupts after Minnesota shootings
A long-simmering fight over congressional security roared back to the surface this weekend following a pair of shootings against Minnesota state legislators at their homes that left two dead and two others hospitalized.
Why it matters: The shootings have deeply unnerved members of Congress, who feel that any one of them could be the subject of an unanticipated attack — particularly at home in their districts and while in transit.
Personal security details are largely a privilege for top congressional leaders and — in some cases — other high-profile members facing specific, credible threats.
Rank-and-file members are renewing a push for greater security, arguing for their own details, greater safety measures at their homes and at airports and more stringent measures to hide their sensitive details.
Driving the news: Minnesota state House Democratic Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed at their home early on Saturday.
The suspect, identified by law enforcement officials as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, also allegedly shot Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife at their home, leaving both hospitalized.
Boelter was allegedly dressed as a police officer and driving a vehicle similar to those used by local law enforcement.
He also had what investigators described as a "manifesto" that listed other Democratic lawmakers, as well as prominent abortion rights advocates, officials allege.
State of play: The shooting sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) saying he asked for increased security for Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said he similarly asked security officials to "ensure the safety of our Minnesota delegation and Members of Congress across the country."
The Capitol Police said in a statement Saturday it was "aware of the violence targeting state lawmakers in Minnesota" and had "been working with our federal, state and local partners," but declined to offer further details.
What they're saying: "I call on the Capitol Police to assist in providing real solutions for increased security for members," said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Thompson, who had a security detail in 2022 as chair of the Jan. 6 committee, said he expects "full cooperation and resources from Republican leadership."
"We're just as exposed as [Hortman] was. We have no more security than she does. You know, Capitol Police is not equipped ... for 435 members, to keep them safe," Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) told Axios in an interview.
"It's not their fault," he added. "Things have changed. And as Congress becomes less functional in general, we can't even function to keep ourselves safe."
What we're hearing: House Republicans held a call on Saturday afternoon, in which lawmakers exhorted their leadership to provide more security resources to individual members.
Specific proposals included increasing security measures at members' homes and at airports, as well as boosting security for meetings, according to three House Republicans who were on the call.
One of the GOP lawmakers, asked if leadership was receptive to those pleas, told Axios they "don't think so" and that "nothing's changed."
A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) did not respond to a request for comment.
What's next: Jeffries will host a virtual briefing next Tuesday afternoon on members' security, according to invites viewed by Axios.
A senior House Democrat told Axios that their colleagues are "scared" and want their addresses hidden — as well as regular security updates — and "won't be silenced."
Another House Democrat said there is "heavy demand" in the party for rank-and-file members to have their own security details.
The intrigue: Moskowitz told Axios he may force a House vote on holding what is called a " secret session" so members can have sensitive security discussions "if I have to."
Such sessions, in which lawmakers can debate on the House floor away from public view, are typically used to discuss confidential information, as was the case the last time the House went into a secret session in 2008.
Moskowitz can force a vote on his proposal unilaterally through what is called a privileged motion.
"Maybe it also won't come to that," he told Axios. "Maybe we'll hear something from the speaker in the next week."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
18 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
How the Federal Reserve Fuels Fiscal Profligacy
If Republicans are serious about reducing federal deficit spending, it is important to consider the effect the Federal Reserve has on the nation's budgetary outlook. If the numerical models imposed by the Congressional Budget Office drive fiscal policy, lawmakers also need to understand what they portend for monetary policy. The Fed once was committed to 'normalizing' its balance sheet—shrinking its footprint in credit markets by reducing the size of its portfolio of Treasury debt and mortgage-backed securities. Chairman Jerome Powell noted in a 2019 speech that large-scale asset purchases by the Fed over the previous 10 years had been viewed from the outset as 'extraordinary measures to be unwound, or 'normalized,' when conditions ultimately warranted.'
Los Angeles Times
26 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Judge blocks Mayor Adams' plan to allow immigration agents in New York City jail
NEW YORK — A judge blocked New York Mayor Eric Adams from letting federal immigration authorities reopen an office at the city's main jail, in part because of concerns Adams had invited them back in as part of a deal with the Trump administration to end his corruption case. New York Judge Mary Rosado's decision Friday is a setback for the Democratic mayor, who issued an executive order permitting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies to maintain office space at the Rikers Island jail complex. City lawmakers filed a lawsuit in April accusing Adams of entering into a 'corrupt quid pro quo bargain' with the Trump administration in exchange for the U.S. Justice Department dropping criminal charges against him. Rosado temporarily blocked the executive order in April. In granting a preliminary injunction, she said City Council members have 'shown a likelihood of success in demonstrating, at minimum, the appearance of a quid pro quo whereby Mayor Adams publicly agreed to bring Immigration and Customs Enforcement ... back to Rikers Island in exchange for dismissal of his criminal charges.' Rosado cited a number of factors, including White House border advisor Tom Homan's televised comments in February that if Adams did not come through, 'I'll be in his office, up his butt saying, 'Where the hell is the agreement we came to?'' Adams has repeatedly denied making a deal with the administration over his criminal case. He has said he deputized his first deputy mayor, Randy Mastro, to handle decision-making on the return of ICE to Rikers Island to make sure there was no appearance of any conflict of interest. Rosado noted that Mastro reports to Adams and 'cannot be considered impartial and free from Mayor Adams' conflicts.' Mastro said in a statement Friday that the administration was confident it would prevail in the case. 'Let's be crystal clear: This executive order is about the criminal prosecution of violent transnational gangs committing crimes in our city. Our administration has never, and will never, do anything to jeopardize the safety of law-abiding immigrants, and this executive order ensures their safety as well,' Mastro said. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is running in the Democratic primary for mayor, called the decision a victory for public safety. 'New Yorkers are counting on our city to protect their civil rights, and yet, Mayor Adams has attempted to betray this obligation by handing power over our city to Trump's ICE because he is compromised,' she said in a statement.
Hamilton Spectator
34 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
A teenager with a job making burritos became a powerful Minnesota lawmaker who trained service dogs
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Melissa Hortman' s influence at the Minnesota Capitol and her power as a Democratic leader to shape the course of a deeply divided Legislature were a far cry from her job as a teenager making chili-cheese burritos and overshadowed her volunteer work training service dogs for veterans. She was a lifelong Minneapolis-area resident who went to college in Boston and then returned home for law school and, with degree fresh in hand, worked as a volunteer lawyer for a group fighting housing discrimination. Elected to the Minnesota House in 2004, she helped pass liberal initiatives like free lunches for pubic school students in 2023 as the chamber's speaker. With the House split 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans this year, she helped break a budget impasse threatening to shut down state government. Tributes from friends and colleagues in both parties poured in after Hortman and her husband were shot to death early Saturday in their suburban Brooklyn Park home in what authorities called an act of targeted political violence. Helping Paws, which trains service dogs, posted a message on its Facebook page, along with a photo of a smiling Hortman with her arm around a friendly-looking golden retriever. 'Melissa Hortman was a woman that I wish everyone around the country knew,' U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a longtime friend and Democratic ally, said Sunday on ABC's 'This Week.' Klobuchar added: 'She was a true leader and loved her work, but was always so grounded and such a decent person. I think that's probably the best word to describe her. You look at her pictures and you know what she was about.' The shootings followed a big Democratic dinner The killings of Hortman and her husband early Saturday followed the shootings and wounding of another prominent Minnesota lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, at their home in Champlin, another Minneapolis suburb. Hoffman is chair of the Senate committee overseeing human resources spending. A nephew posted Sunday on Facebook that the Hoffmans were out of surgery and recovering from multiple gunshot wounds. The Hortmans, the Hoffmans and other top Democrats had gathered at a downtown Minneapolis hotel Friday night for their party's annual Humphrey-Mondale dinner. It's named for two Minnesota liberal icons who served both as U.S. senators and vice presidents, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale. Minnesota Democrat and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said she saw both lawmakers at the dinner. 'So it feels so personal, because we're all very good friends, of course, to have that have happened so shortly after we were all together,' Smith said on CNN's 'Inside Politics Sunday.' Outside the state Capitol in St. Paul, a memorial to Hortman and her husband included flowers, candles, small American flags and a photo of the couple. Visitors left messages on Post-It notes commending Hortman's legislative work, including, 'You changed countless lives.' Hortman supplied a key vote for a budget deal Democrats disliked Legislative colleagues described Hortman as funny, savvy and fiercely committed to liberal causes. When lawmakers convened in January with a vacancy in a Democratic seat in the House giving the GOP a temporary advantage, Hortman led a boycott of daily sessions for more than three weeks to force Republicans into a power-sharing arrangement. Republicans were intent this year on ending state health coverage for adult immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally, authorized in 2023 as part of a sweeping liberal program . Democrats wanted to keep it, and lawmakers began June — the last month of the 2025 budget year — without having passed a 2026-27 spending blueprint. Hortman helped negotiate a package that included a bill ending the state health coverage for adult immigrants on Jan. 1, 2026. She was the only House Democrat to vote for it last week— the 68th vote it needed to pass the chamber. She told reporters afterward that Republicans insisted on the bill, and Minnesota voters who gave the House an even partisan split expect the parties to compromise. But she acknowledged she worries about people who will lose their health insurance. 'I know that people will be hurt by that vote,' she said, choking up briefly before regaining her composure. 'We worked very hard to get a budget deal that wouldn't include that provision.' Tacos, auto parts, physics and Habitat for Humanity Hortman's earliest jobs didn't suggest that she'd become a power in Minnesota politics. The earliest job listed on her profile, when she was 16, was as a cook and cashier at a restaurant, where she made tacos and, 'most importantly, chili cheese burritos.' She also worked for caterers and was a runner at an auto parts store, putting inventory away and retrieving items for customers. Her husband, Mark, earned a physics degree from the University of North Carolina and later, a master's of business administration. He was the chief operating officer of an auto parts company for 10 years before co-founding a business consulting firm. He was active in Helping Paws and worked with homebuilding nonprofit Habitat for Humanity. Melissa Hortman earned a degree in philosophy and political science from Boston University, where she also worked as a residence assistant in one of its dormitories. She earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota, but also a master's of public administration from Harvard University. She served a decade on the board of a local nonprofit providing transportation and car repairs for low-income residents. She also was part of a committee in 2005 considering whether Minneapolis should submit a bid to host the Summer Olympics. 'We remember Melissa for her kindness, compassion, and unwavering commitment to making the world better,' Helping Paws said in its Facebook message. ___ Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. Associated Press video journalist Obed Lamy also contributed reporting from St. Paul, Minnesota. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
