Speaker Paul Ryan discussed beefing up members’ security budgets by as much as $25,000 apiece. | John Shinkle/POLITICO Rattled by shooting, GOP lawmakers discuss beefing up security funding

House Republicans, still reeling from last week’s shooting at a GOP baseball practice that nearly killed Majority Whip Steve Scalise, are calling for flexibility to use federal funds to hire personal security and protect their district offices from potential violent attacks.

In a closed-door meeting of the House Republican Conference, Speaker Paul Ryan discussed allowing members to use their congressional allowances to spend as much as $25,000 apiece on security each year.


Lawmakers exiting the meeting said the funds would likely help lawmakers hire personal protection, especially in districts where local police aren’t able to provide round-the-clock security.

Although some Republicans were under the impression they would also be able to use those allowances to pay for alarms in their homes, the House Administration Committee has clarified that use would not be authorized.

Spending committee leaders in the House gave initial approval Friday morning to the bill that would fund congressional operations for the fiscal year that begins in October. And while the panel did sign off on a more than $29 million bump for the Capitol Police, the committee did not include an increase for lawmaker allowances — used for things like staff salaries, members’ travel expenses and sending constituent mail.

Instead, lawmakers are counting on the House Administration Committee to give the go-ahead for using up to $25,000 of each allowance on security, for both this year and again next year.

In a tense political environment in which physical threats are increasingly common, lawmakers say the funding is necessary to ensure their safety and peace of mind, especially when they’re away from the heavily secured Capitol.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), who was among those who dodged bullets in last week’s attack, said lawmakers were discussing “whatever preemptive measures we can take.”

“I think this is a bipartisan issue,” he said.

Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Members also discussed obtaining a blanket waiver from the Federal Election Commission permitting members to use campaign funds for security while conducting political business as well. Members can obtain individual waivers now, but lawmakers are interested in securing a broader standing waiver that wouldn’t require them to individually seek FEC permission.

Loudermilk said current restrictions have left lawmakers hampered when it comes to spending on personal security, such as bulletproof glass for their offices.