The Senate has approved a rules change to enable senators to use official office funds for personal security measures, following concerns about lawmaker safety after the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk. Senate Majority Leader John Thune brought the proposal to the floor and it was approved by unanimous consent.
Thune emphasized that the change provides senators with additional flexibility to address their security concerns as public officials. He cited the additional $30 million allocated for state and local law enforcement partnerships with Capitol Police, which was included in a House Republican stopgap spending bill scheduled for a vote in the House.
This move was previewed earlier this week by Senate Rules Committee Chair Mitch McConnell, who discussed the need for greater flexibility on security expenses with his GOP colleagues. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida also wrote a letter to Thune, urging action to expand the use of Senate office accounts to cover some security measures.
Meanwhile, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, has indicated that merely changing the rules to allow existing funds to pay for security is insufficient. In a statement, Padilla agreed to let the rules change go through based on commitments from Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to work on ‘new security options’ and secure ‘real’ funding for enhanced security.
Without further action, Padilla warned, the change would force senators to ‘choose between either paying for office staff and operations or paying for their own personal security.’ The Senate-passed legislative branch spending bill includes funding for a pilot program to increase security for lawmakers in their home states, with potential for additional investments as the bill moves through a bipartisan and bicameral negotiation process in the wake of the Kirk assassination.
Thune also mentioned that he is collaborating with the Senate sergeant-at-arms to explore further security options for senators.