U.S. House dramatically ramps up security for its lawmakers as fears of violence rise

The U.S. House will dramatically increase the amount of money available to its members for their personal security as part of a new program launching next month, according to an email to congressional offices obtained by Axios.Why it matters: Threats against members of Congress have been on the rise for years, exacerbating a growing sentiment on Capitol Hill that serving in Congress is no longer worth the associated risks and challenges.Some House members, such as Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have even cited fear for their families' safety as a factor in their decision to leave the job.The last two years alone have seen a two assassination attempts against President Trump, an act of arson against Gov. Josh Shapiro's (D-Pa.) home, the shooting of Minnesota lawmakers and the killing of Charlie Kirk.Just last week, a group of Democrats faced a surge of violent threats after President Trump said comments they made urging military service members to defy unlawful orders were "punishable by DEATH."Driving the news: House sergeant-at-arms William McFarland said in an email Monday that members will have access to $20,000 per month to bulk up their security at their homes, district offices and while traveling.That is double the amount they were receiving after the Kirk shooting in September under a pilot program that McFarland said will now be made permanent on Dec. 1.McFarland also listed new security measures lawmakers are permitted to purchase for their homes with a separate $20,000 lifetime allotment, including fences, gates, ballistic or forced entry windows and window bars.Members will also receive up to $350 per month to monitor and maintain those home security systems, he said.Zoom in: McFarland said the House is also launching a "Mobile Duress Program" that will allow members to send out a security alert to law enforcement from a mobile app.The app will alert police in the area, the Capitol Police and the the sergeant-at-arms' office, offering a "discreet manner for incidents where an overt call to law enforcement may not be possible," McFarland wrote.It will launch on Dec. 1 and be available to one immediate family member.

Comments

World news

Leafs better defensively, but more work needed

Global News

Comments

Similar News

U.S. Preparing To Seize More Tankers Off Venezuela's Coast, Sources Say

Danish Intelligence Report Warns Of U.S. Military Threat Under Trump

ASL interpreters ‘intrude’ on Trump’s right to control image, U.S. DOJ says

'She's awesome': How U.S. veterans helped Venezuela's Machado escape

U.S. Lifts Sanctions Against Justice Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil

Canadians Rush to Buy Stockpiles of Boycotted U.S. Liquor

A momentous week as Syria celebrates lifting U.S. sanctions and a year without Assad

U.S. Diplomats Take Trump to Court Over Mass Firings

What some Canadian provinces are doing with U.S. alcohol removed from liquor stores

Ukrainians, Worrying More About Power Cuts, See U.S. Peace Push as Just Noise

U.S. Sanctions Venezuelan President Maduro's 3 Nephews As Pressure Campaign Ratchets Up

In Colombia, anger and disbelief at Trump threats of U.S. strikes

Contributor: In Israel and the U.S., parallel cases of malice against Palestinians

Barabak: The U.S. Senate is a mess. He wants to fix it, from the inside

U.S. Issues Sweeping Immigration Crackdown on 19 Countries

Zelensky Defies U.S. Pressure to Cede Territory to Russia

Vietnam Tries to Escape the U.S.-China Trap

U.S. Farmers Aren’t Out of the Woods Yet

Where Do U.S.-India Ties Stand?

Trump Accelerates U.S. Pressure Campaign on Venezuela

World news

Leafs better defensively, but more work needed

Populist approaches are popular with Canadians — but not populism itself

The CRA spent $18M on 'Charlie,' a new tax information chatbot that is wrong most of the time

Reddit launches High Court challenge to Australia's social media ban for under-16s

Senate parents shred Trump’s call to limit doll purchases for US kids: ‘What is this, the Soviet Union?’

Call of the Wilde: Montreal Canadiens trounced by the Colorado Avalanche

Pentagon rolls out the welcome wagon for new MAGA-friendly press corps

Cheating in lightning chess - how unproven allegations ended in tragedy

Land mine explosion that wounded Chinese man on Cambodia-Thailand border provokes concerns

An archaeologist is racing to preserve Sudan's heritage as war threatens to erase its cultural past

Grateful to be alive, residents who escaped the Hong Kong apartment blaze wonder what comes next

At least 248 killed in floods, landslides on Indonesia's Sumatra island: Authorities

Death toll from floods and mudslides in Sri Lanka rises to 123, over 100 missing

Playwright Tom Stoppard who won Academy Award for screenplay for “Shakespeare In Love" has died

‘So chaotic’: No return date for displaced residents of 2 Toronto building fires

'Too scared to speak' - Nigerian villagers on living in the midst of kidnap gangs

Forgotten photos reveal women who powered India's freedom struggle

Why I spend hours painstakingly repairing banknotes

The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine

B.C. woman alleged to have handled babies at hospital has past animal cruelty conviction

Arrests made in New York after protesters appear to foil ICE raid with barricade of bodies and garbage bags

Thanksgiving home invasion leaves dog dead and widow without wedding ring and mortgage payment

King and Queen lead tributes to playwright Sir Tom Stoppard after he dies aged 88

Ukrainian officials head to US for peace talks - while dramatic footage shows Russian oil tanker being hit

'Severe allergic reaction made me lose my memory - I couldn't recognise myself'

More than 70,000 killed in Gaza since Israel offensive began, Hamas-run health ministry says

The Wiggles issue statement after appearing in Ecstasy music video

Ukraine hits tankers in Black Sea in escalation against Russia

Ukraine begins new negotiations after a sudden shakeup in Kyiv

Fleet squeeze past Sceptres with 3-1 victory

Yet another Trump ally announces his retirement from Congress in order to spend more time with their family

Miami man who told his friends his girlfriend had been seized by ICE has now been charged with her murder

GOP senators to join Democrats in investigating Pete Hegseth ‘kill everybody’ allegations

Black Friday sales rise despite economic jitters

Investigators deployed to scene following a train derailment near Cranbrook, B.C.

Brit backpacker death: 8 things to know as survivors share horrors of Chile storm

Top Trump Aides to Meet With Ukrainians in Florida on Sunday

The Ukrainians Stuck in Russia’s New Gulag

Where Hundreds of Undocumented Migrants Have Died in Custody

At least 200 border patrol agents to flood New Orleans in coming weeks, report says

Kash Patel’s behavior as FBI director has earned him a new nickname, according to former special agent

Turning Point USA staffer accused of sexually harassing male employee and kidnapping his daughter

Trump says Venezuela's airspace should be viewed as closed. It's not clear what that means

Two brothers killed in Israeli drone strike on Gaza

Hong Kong mourns those lost to fire as investigators search for remains

Canadian watched childhood home burn as Hong Kong blaze killed more than 100 people

RCMP arrest suspect in Enfield, lifting N.S. shelter-in-place order

Katie Miller’s CNN appearance descends into shouting match as she defends Tucker Carlson

Flights divert away from Venezuela airspace after Trump shutdown order

Ukraine peace talks continue – but latest strikes show Putin’s true motive

Inside the chaotic inaugural Your Party conference

The retirement crisis is here

Trump ally Troy Nehls joins growing group of lawmakers retiring from Congress

AI is upending retirement planning

Young people forgo homeownership to invest in the stock market

Social Security's day of reckoning is nearly here

Unions, community groups to hold demonstration in Montreal against Quebec government