{"id":2448623,"date":"2025-06-17T21:26:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T01:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-murders-prompt-congress-to-rethink-its-police-budget\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T21:27:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T01:27:38","slug":"minnesota-murders-prompt-congress-to-rethink-its-police-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-murders-prompt-congress-to-rethink-its-police-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota murders prompt Congress to rethink its police budget"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fminnesota-murders-prompt-congress-to-rethink-its-police-budget%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2448623&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Following the recent assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, there is increasing concern among U.S. lawmakers regarding their safety amidst a climate of rising political hostility. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/twin-attacks-cast-shadow-over-trump-transition-and-inauguration-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Twin attacks cast shadow over Trump transition and inauguration ... Washington Examiner\">classified security briefing<\/a> highlighted alarming threats to elected officials, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer emphasizing the urgent need for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >enhanced security measures<\/a> and funding for the Capitol Police. Despite most members of Congress not having round-the-clock protection, recent events have prompted calls for important increases in security resources and budget, possibly surpassing a billion dollars for the Capitol Police.<\/p>\n<p>Data reveals a dramatic rise in threats against lawmakers, indicating a critical need for improved safety protocols in response to escalating political violence. Lawmakers are allowed to utilize office funds for personal security measures, but there is a consensus that further action is necessary to ensure their safety.Additionally,discussions surrounding the role of inflammatory political rhetoric in inciting violence have emerged,with some members urging a reduction in aggressive speech to help decrease tensions.This situation underscores the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/home-depot-exec-describes-soaring-violent-threats-from-shoplifters-in-congressional-testimony\/\" title=\"Home Depot exec highlights rising violent ... from shoplifters in ... testimony\">growing dangers faced<\/a> by public officials and the need for robust security measures in preserving their safety and the integrity of democratic institutions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">&lsquo;Sobering&rsquo; security briefing after Minnesota murders could usher in billion-dollar Capitol Police budget<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2150703\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>In the wake of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3442053\/two-minnesota-lawmakers-shot-by-suspect-impersonating-police\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">assassination<\/a> of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/minnesota\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Minnesota\">Minnesota<\/a> state lawmaker and her husband, concern is mounting among elected officials <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"in Washington\">in Washington<\/a> over how to ensure the safety of the more than 500 federal lawmakers and their families amid rising political hostility and limited security resources.<\/p>\n<p>In the wake of the shootings, senators received a classified security briefing on Tuesday from Jennifer A. Hemingway, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Senate\">Senate<\/a> sergeant-at-arms. Afterward, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) described the session as &ldquo;sobering,&rdquo; telling reporters, &ldquo;The threat to public officials and their families is very real and very widespread.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3444869\/dnc-election-david-hogg-successor-heads-runoff-vote\/\">DNC election for David Hogg&#8217;s successor heads to runoff vote<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3445244\/us-embassy-jerusalem-close-until-friday-israel-iran-war\/\">US Embassy in Jerusalem to close until Friday as Israel-Iran conflict rages<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3445224\/judge-ruling-blocks-trump-transgender-passport-policy\/\">Judge blocks Trump transgender passport policy<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Most members of Congress do not receive round-the-clock protection, with full-time Capitol Police security details reserved for a small number of top leaders. Lawmakers can request additional protection, but it&rsquo;s only granted if Capitol Police assess a credible threat. To bolster safety, federal officials have authorized members to use office funds for home security systems and campaign money to hire private security.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The violence and threats against elected officials, including people in the Senate, have drastically increased,&ldquo; Schumer said Tuesday.&nbsp; &ldquo;That means we need more protection. We need more money.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Schumer said there was bipartisan support for increasing funding for the Capitol Police and said Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Dave McCormick (R-PA) asked about increasing the money available to protect lawmakers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Data from the Capitol Police <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscp.gov\/media-center\/press-releases\/uscp-threat-assessment-cases-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">revealed<\/a> a sharp increase in threats targeting members of Congress, their families, and staff, rising from 3,939 &ldquo;concerning statements and direct threats&rdquo; in 2017 to 9,474 in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, political violence has surged, fueling demands for stronger security protections for public officials. Advocates of enhanced measures point to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3224076\/three-men-indicted-iranian-plot-kill-trump-before-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">assassination attempts<\/a> against President Donald Trump as key examples.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond these high-profile attempts, other violent incidents have raised alarms: an arson attack on Gov. Josh Shapiro&rsquo;s (D-PA)home, the fatal shooting of two staff members at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., the arrest of an armed individual near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh&rsquo;s residence on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bail-fund-praised-by-kamala-harris-has-twice-freed-the-same-rioter-he-was-just-charged-again\/\" title=\"Bail Fund Praised By Kamala Harris Has Twice Freed The Same Rioter. He Was Just Charged Again.\">attempted murder charges<\/a>, and a 2022 shooting in Wisconsin where a gunman killed a retired judge while carrying a list of additional political targets, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, a 25-year-old man appeared in court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ndga\/pr\/duluth-man-indicted-threatening-two-us-senators-and-their-families\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">facing federal charges<\/a> for sending messages that threatened sexual violence against Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Deb Fischer (R-NE).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Capitol Police have ramped up security for members of Congress affected by the Minnesota shootings, providing around-the-clock protection to lawmakers whose names were reportedly found in writings linked to the alleged shooter. However, lawmakers believe more must be done.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot being done that is not being reported and won&rsquo;t be reported, but there&rsquo;s more that has to be done,&rdquo; Durbin said.<\/p>\n<p>Before the weekend&rsquo;s deadly shootings and a spike in threats against members of Congress, the Capitol Police had already requested $967.8 million for fiscal 2026, a 22% increase from their fiscal 2024 funding. Now, with lawmakers demanding even greater resources, the agency&rsquo;s budget could surpass a billion dollars for the first time in the near future.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) called on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to raise lawmakers&rsquo; office budgets to help &ldquo;support enhanced safety and security measures&rdquo; in <a href=\"https:\/\/democraticleader.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/jeffries-morelle-letter-speaker-johnson-member-security\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">a letter<\/a> sent on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>The House Democrats also urged Johnson to instruct the House&rsquo;s chief law enforcement officer to &ldquo;take all necessary steps&rdquo; to ensure the safety of members nationwide. In their letter, they emphasized, &ldquo;Too many other patriotic public servants have left Congress because they no longer felt safe carrying out their duty as elected officials.&rdquo; They added, &ldquo;We must act to protect each other and preserve this great American institution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Schumer and other Democrats argued that &ldquo;reckless rhetoric&rdquo; from GOP figures has helped create a volatile and dangerous environment. <\/p>\n<p>They specifically cited a series of inflammatory posts from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) over the weekend regarding the Minnesota shooting. Facing growing backlash from his colleagues, Lee eventually deleted the posts, including one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3443890\/mike-lee-minnesota-confronted-posts-political-shootings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">that said<\/a>, &ldquo;This is what happens when Marxists don&rsquo;t get their way,&rdquo; accompanied by an alleged photo of suspect Vance Boelter wearing the mask police say was used during the attack.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who has been in direct contact with the victims of the Minnesota shootings, spoke to Lee about the posts. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad that he took this down,&rdquo; Klobuchar told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;This wasn&rsquo;t funny to anyone in my state, and he understood that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I feel like a lot of the MAGA rhetoric, which is so threatening, or other kinds of fuel to the fire, is a clear and present danger,&rdquo; Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) urged both parties to lower the political temperature, warning that extreme rhetoric, such as calling opponents fascists or threats to democracy, can incite violence.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3444532\/mike-lee-deletes-minnesota-shooting-posts-senate-backlash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>MIKE LEE DELETES MINNESOTA SHOOTING POSTS FOLLOWING SENATE BACKLASH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The President of the United States has been shot at twice in the last year &hellip; egged on by the most unbelievable rhetoric calling him a fascist, calling him a threat to democracy, calling for him to be taken out, so I think we can work together to turn down the temperature here,&rdquo; Hawley said, speaking with reporters on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We can disagree with each other without implying that the other person ought to have violence inflicted on them,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2150703\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2150703\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Security briefing after Minnesota murders may lead to $1B Capitol Police budget as concerns grow for lawmakers&#8217; safety amid rising political hostility<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2448624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AP25168822951905-scaled-1024x682.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4402,5698,9032],"class_list":["post-2448623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-congress","tag-minnesota","tag-murders"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AP25168822951905-scaled-1024x682.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2448623"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448623\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2448627,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448623\/revisions\/2448627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2448624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2448623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2448623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2448623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}