Lawmakers in Washington press for more security following Minnesota shooting

Members of Congress are reassessing their own security coverage following the Saturday attacks in Minnesota where a gunman shot two Democratic lawmakers, killing one and wounding the other.

Top leaders in Washington condemned the attacks in their immediate wake before turning to assess the security of federal politicians.

The suspected shooter, Vance Boelter, had a “hit list” of 45 elected Democrats. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Reps. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., and Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, have all said publicly that they were on that list.

Scholten cancelled a planned townhall in her district on Monday, saying, “Out of an abundance of caution and to not divert additional law enforcement resources away from protecting the broader public at this time, this is the responsible choice.”

Senators will receive a briefing Tuesday morning from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms Office. The briefing comes at the request of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY.

“I say to my colleagues, now is the time to speak with moral clarity,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor. “Every single one of us must condemn political violence no matter where it comes from and to work together to eradicate its root causes. We cannot be silent because silence only serves to enable more violence.”

Schumer added that he requested additional security support for both senators from Minnesota as well as Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.

Padilla was in a physical altercation with Department of Homeland Security staff last Thursday after he attempted to ask questions of DHS Sec. Kristi Noem at a press conference in Los Angeles. Padilla identified himself as a senator and tried to ask about mass-deportation actions occurring in Los Angeles before being restrained and later tackled and handcuffed.

Padilla told reporters he has spoken to Thune and plans to have further conversations with the Senate leader and colleagues on both sides of the aisle. He declined to agree with some arguments that the tactics used on him has emboldened attacks on Democrats, like Saturday’s shooting.

“I’ll have more to say in the coming days,” Padilla said.

Some lawmakers expressed skepticism about the calls for increased security.

South Dakota GOP Sen. Mike Rounds, noted that those who were shot on Saturday were state legislators. He also noted that he served in the statehouse for 10 years and said it wasn’t feasible to have security at all times.

“My question would be how far do you go and at what point?” he said.

Rounds pointed out that the U.S. Capitol Police authorize additional security for House members and Senators “when there is a known threat.”

Rounds said he supported increased investigations of online threats against lawmakers. He said social media pushes some people to escalate the tone of their rhetoric.

“Once you get to the point of threatening that’s when maybe someone needs to have a visit with them,” Rounds said.

Increasing threats to members

There has been a broader increase in threats to lawmakers in recent years. Thomas Manger, the former Capitol Police Chief who retired in May, told NPR earlier this year that threats have skyrocketed.

“For many years, if we got a thousand or 2,000 threats, you know, throughout the year, that was about average,” Manger said in January. “Now, we’re averaging eight to 9,000 every year. It’s really shot through the roof.”

Sen Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters in the Capitol on Monday that lawmakers need to work together.

“We all need to work together to turn down the politically temperature, and we need to put an end to political violence,” Hawley said. “And we also need to send a signal that if you plot, plan, take any step in furtherance of any kind of political violence, you are going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Members from both parties have repeatedly called for Congress to allow lawmakers to spend more money on personal security.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday calling for him to do more to protect members.

“Member safety must be an area of common ground. Representatives from both sides of the aisle have endured assassination attempts that changed their lives and careers forever,” they wrote. “Too many other patriotic public servants have left Congress because they no longer felt safe carrying out their duty as elected officials. We must act to protect each other and preserve this great American institution.”

Asked about the push from House Democrats, Rounds, who serves on the Senate spending panel overseeing the legislative branch’s budget, told reporters, “That’s not a bad idea.” He added, “It’s not just the members who are at risk, it’s also their staffs who are at risk.”

Republican members are also circulating a letter calling for increased security, according to a draft of the letter obtained by NPR.

NPR’s Luke Garrett contributed to this report.