House Republicans are discussing pumping tens of millions of dollars into security for lawmakers as tensions have risen on Capitol Hill in recent days in the aftermath of the assassination of a prominent conservative activist.
In a closed-door conference meeting Tuesday, the GOP discussed attaching a proposal to increase security funding to $30 million to a stopgap government bill to fund the government, according to two people familiar with the matter. That funding would be in addition to the $58 million in security funding for the executive and judicial branches requested by the White House.
The killing of Charlie Kirk has again brought the issue of public officials’ security to the forefront as threats of violence against politicians are at an all-time high. Congressional lawmakers have been left to grapple with the growing difficulty of ensuring member safety with limited resources in an increasingly toxic political environment.
“It’s basically extra support for being able to hire security people that you can bring around with you. And if we have to do more, we do more,” House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole told CNN.
Members, Cole said, would be able to decide how to use the funds to protect themselves and it would last through the period of time funded by the short-term government funding bill.
In July, following the fatal shooting targeting state lawmakers in Minnesota, the House increased security funding and resources for lawmakers. But that program – of which approximately 60 Democrats and 20 Republicans took advantage, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson – is set to expire at the end of the month, when government funding is set to run out.
Tying the latest security proposal to government funding now poses a question for Democrats, who have been largely unified in their opposition to helping Republicans stave off a shutdown unless a deal is made to protect health care coverage.
Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, whose panel oversees lawmaker security programs, said the funding would be used to reimburse local law enforcement who provide security when members are back in their districts.
“There is an opportunity, I think, to plus up the total funding on member security,” Steil said Tuesday.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are considering their own security in the context of the recent political violence, especially what that looks like when they are in their home districts where they and their families don’t have the benefit of the US Capitol Police.
“I think all the members recognize that that more needs to be done,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who himself was severely injured in the 2017 congressional baseball shooting. “All three branches are trying to address it in similar fashion. So, you know, hopefully we get all of this worked out this week.”
But questions remain about how the proposed money would be spent.
GOP Rep. Cliff Bentz of Oregon told CNN after leaving the Republican conference meeting that while he supports the concept of giving lawmakers more money for security, he has a lot of questions about how the funds would be used.
“I don’t know what it’s going to be spent on. I don’t know how it’s going to be allocated. I don’t know when it’s going to show up. I don’t know what the limitations on its use are. I don’t know those things yet,” he said.
CNN’s Manu Raju and Alison Main contributed to this report.
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