By The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University has jolted Capitol Hill, intensifying fears of political violence and forcing lawmakers to reconsider their own safety. Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck while speaking outdoors on Wednesday. Although the motive is only slowly coming to the surface, the killing has sharpened anxieties in a Congress already on edge, according to Semafor.
“People are scared to death in this building,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida who has lived under round-the-clock police protection since a constituent’s attempt on his life last year. “Not many of them will say it publicly, but they’re running to [House Speaker Mike Johnson] talking about security.”
The reaction was swift. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive from New York, postponed a weekend rally in North Carolina, citing outdated security protocols. “There were additional resources added after Jan. 6 and I believe that, frankly, member security has not had a change,” she said, urging upgrades for a “digital era, in a stochastic-threat environment.”
“From the moment I was elected, I have felt that I accept a certain level of risk in doing this job,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. But she added that security protocols for members of Congress were “for a bygone time” and “not designed for a digital threat environment era.” She is currently traveling with Bernie Sanders in a Fight The Oligarchy tour in what many are saying is a warm-up for 2028.
Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, vowed to avoid outdoor events “anytime soon” and now carries a firearm. “I’ll start carrying again when I’m back home, and when I’m allowed to carry where it’s reciprocal. In other states, I will have a firearm on my person all the time, and I will have security,” Mace told reporters Thursday outside the Capitol.
Congress has experimented with reforms. Earlier this year, the House raised monthly security stipends for members from $150 to $5,000. But Mace dismissed the increase as “not enough.” Speaker Johnson warned that assigning full-time security to all 435 House members would “cost billions” and is impossible. Leaders are weighing alternatives, such as authorizing members to hire personal protection for district events.
The Senate is debating similar measures, including whether to provide home-state security details. The urgency was underscored Thursday by a bomb threat at Democratic National Committee headquarters—ultimately deemed not credible—that rattled nerves on an already shaken Hill, noted Semafor.
Some lawmakers are also pleading for a change in tone. “This rhetoric is out of control,” said Sen. Jim Justice, a West Virginia Republican, urging colleagues to speak more respectfully. Others insist retreat is not the answer. “It’s important that I continue to go out and do what I would normally do,” said Sen. Josh Hawley. “If you stop, then the people who want to silence you win.”
The White House has been shaken as well. Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was close to administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, who is accompanying his body back to Arizona. Some aides have tightened their security, while others argue Kirk’s death demands even louder advocacy. President Donald Trump, who survived two assassination attempts in 2024, still plans to attend a Yankees game in New York, though questions linger over his detail.
For Congress, Kirk’s murder has become a chilling marker of what some now call a “terrible new era of political violence.” The challenge ahead is how to remain accessible to constituents while surviving in a political climate where accessibility itself has become a risk.
[Read More: JD Vance Reveals Secret About Kirk Few Knew]
