Congress put on “High Alert” amid security threats

There has been a series of high-profile security incidents which have prompted members of Congress and Capital security officials to take drastic measures toward lawmakers’ security. 

The Chair of a subcommittee which oversees the Capitol Police, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) said in regards to the high alert, “The threats are real, the increases have been unbelievable, we’ve got to do everything we can to try to make sure people are safe. Lot of wild cats out there.”

The threats that Rep. Tim Ryan is referring include when a man was arrested outside of the home of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) for threatening her life. Another incident involved Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) who was attacked by a man holding an object while at a campaign event in New York. 

The House sergeant-at-arms last Wednesday provided a plan which would cover the costs to upgrade security measures to members’ homes. The plan includes $10,000 for installation and equipment and about $150 monthly for maintenance and monitoring. 

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) had her own comments regarding the security increase. “I think we need a lot more. And, you know, I’ve learned a lot from going through this myself,” Jayapal said, per Axios.

Another House member, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) who has been receiving a lot of death threats recently wanted to have an overhaul of the fundamentals of security. She also had her own comments saying,

“If you’re on a certain committee, if you have a certain [leadership] title, your security is already taken care of. But increasingly we are having… rank-and-file members, not just me, but many others, who are subject to increasing threats.”