WH Plans Security Boost After Kirk Assassination

The Trump administration is asking Congress to approve an additional $58 million for security to protect the executive and judicial branches following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a leadership aide confirmed to NBC News on Sunday.

The Trump administration supports adding more money to protect members of Congress, too, but deferred to the legislative branch on how to do that, the leadership aide told NBC News.

The request comes as Republicans and Democrats negotiate a stopgap funding bill and as lawmakers have beefed up their personal security, moved events indoors or canceled them altogether following Kirk’s killing in Utah and an uptick in political violence overall.

Kirk’s assassination 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 Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence and the two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump last summer.

Punchbowl News first reported the administration’s request.

House Democrats are expected to hold a virtual briefing Sunday with the House sergeant at arms and the Capitol Police chief to discuss member security, according to an invitation obtained by NBC News.

The invitation was also extended to members’ spouses or significant others.

Reacting to the news of the additional funding request Sunday, some lawmakers expressed support for the measure, saying they hope Congress will “step up” and agree to bulk up funding for security, citing an uptick in political violence.

“I hope we will invest in securing our public life, because incidents like this tragedy in Utah, like the murder of Melissa and her husband, Mark Hortman, in Minnesota, frankly, fuel further anger in our country. And the ways in which folks are then taking the horrific images of these incidents and propagating them on the internet adds fuel to the fire,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said Sunday during a joint interview with Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Lankford agreed with Coons’ remarks, saying the funding goes beyond protecting individuals and also safeguards the country’s ability to have civil discourse.

“When we’re talking about protecting judges and protecting individuals, it’s not just their personal safety. It is really declaring to the nation that we believe that these tasks are hard, that there should be intense debate, that we have very different perspectives,” Lankford said.