WASHINGTON — The top Republican and Democrat on the House Administration Committee are calling on the Department of Justice to designate additional resources to pursue threats made against members of Congress in the wake of the shootings of two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses last weekend.

What You Need To Know

  • The top Republican and Democrat on the House Administration Committee are calling on the Department of Justice to designate additional resources to pursue threats made against members of Congress
  • The request comes in the wake of the shootings of two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses last weekend
  • The pair wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi and specifically requested that special assistant U.S attorneys or assistant U.S attorneys be placed, at least part time, in each of the 94 federal districts to work on investigating and prosecuting threats against lawmakers. 
  • There were 9,474 “concerning statements and direct threats” made against members of Congress, their staff and families that were investigated in 2024, the second year in a row such a figure has increased, according to data from the Capitol Police

In a letter addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi this week, the chair and ranking member of the House Administration Committee, Reps. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., and Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., warned of what they called a “drastic increase” in threats against lawmakers, calling the matter “urgent.” 

The pair specifically requested that special assistant U.S attorneys or assistant U.S attorneys be placed, at least part time, in each of the 94 federal districts to work on investigating and prosecuting threats against lawmakers. 

The top members of the committee – which oversees management of the U.S. Capitol Police as well as tax-payer funded allowances for members known as member's representational allowances, or MRAs – argued that the ability to feel anonymous in the ways the public now communicates has made the risk of facing consequences for threats appear smaller.

“We believe that additional resources and increased attention to this issue will help deter future threats,” the lawmakers wrote. 

There were 9,474 “concerning statements and direct threats” made against members of Congress, their staff and families that were investigated in 2024, the second year in a row such a figure has increased and a more than 5,500 jump from 2017, according to data from the Capitol Police. 

In their letter, Steil and Morelle said that special assistant U.S attorneys secured eight convictions for threats last year. They pointed out what they said was the “sharp contrast” in the number convicted compared to the more than 9,400 occurrences investigated. 

The request for new resources comes amid a series of calls from lawmakers in the nation’s capital for better protection following the killing of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and the shooting of another state lawmaker and his wife in Minnesota over the weekend. The man accused of carrying out both shootings had a long list of other lawmakers he allegedly wished to target, including Democratic members of Congress. 

Senators received an emergency briefing from security officials tasked with keeping them safe this week following the shooting. Senate Democrats leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., emerged saying members need more protection. 

Morelle, meanwhile, also teamed up with the Democratic leader in the House, New York's Hakeem Jeffries, to send a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urging him to step up security for members. Specifically, they asked the speaker to direct the House sergeant-at-arms to “take all necessary steps” to protect lawmakers as well as “substantially” increase member allowances to allow them to secure additional security measures in “every single office.” 

“That responsibility starts with you,” they told Johnson. 

In an interview with Spectrum News former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said Capitol Police has been dealing with an “elevated threat level” for years now. He noted that every new member of Congress receives a briefing from Capitol Police and the sergeant-at-arms that includes a list of services available to them to enhance their security. 

“Many of the members of Congress do take advantage of them but many don’t,” Manger said. “And it always surprised me and was a source of frustration when I was the chief in the Capitol Police.” 

Spectrum News’ Reuben Jones contributed to this report.