Trump seeks budget of $58 million to reinforce security after murder of Charlie Kirk
Experts and analysts warn that political violence is increasing and affects public officials regardless of their command
On September 10, Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. Her killing sparked outrage from politicians and concern about a rise in political violence. In light of the incident, the Trump administration is asking Congress to approve an additional $58 million for security to protect the executive and judicial branches following Kirk’s killing. NBC News reported that the Trump administration also supports adding more money to protect members of Congress but left it up to the legislative branch to decide how to do that. The request comes as Republicans and Democrats negotiate a stopgap funding bill and lawmakers have beefed up personal security, moved events indoors, or canceled them altogether following Kirk’s killing in Utah and a rise in political violence overall. Kirk’s killing was the latest in a string of incidents, including the killing of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and the wounding of her Democratic colleague and spouse, an arson attack on the residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and the two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump. Trump last summer.
Reacting to news of the additional funding request on Sunday, some lawmakers expressed support for the measure, saying they hope Congress will “step up” and agree to increased funding for security, citing a rise in political violence.
“I hope that we invest in protecting our public life, because incidents like this tragedy in Utah, like the murder of Melissa and her husband, Mark Hortman, in Minnesota, frankly, fuel anger in our country. And the way that people take the horrific images of these incidents and spread them online adds fuel to the fire,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, said Sunday.
Same-sounding sentiment was Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma,on CBS's "Face the Nation."
Lankford agreed with Coons' comments, saying the funding goes beyond protecting individuals and also safeguards the country's ability to have civil discourse.
"When we talk about protecting judges and individuals, it's not just about their personal safety. It's about expressing to the nation that we believe these tasks are difficult, that there needs to be robust debate, and that we have very different perspectives," Lankford said.