Congress sets aside $203.5M for lawmaker security in shutdown deal amid rising threats
WASHINGTON, DC: The bipartisan deal to end the government shutdown reportedly includes a major increase in funding for congressional security and a new legal provision allowing senators to sue federal agencies over secret data seizures.
The $3.5 billion appropriations bill for House and Senate operations, which funds Congress through September 2026, provides $203.5 million specifically to strengthen protections for lawmakers amid rising threats of political violence.
More than $203 million to bolster lawmaker security
Under the legislation, each senator’s office will receive an additional $750,000 for “protective security” at all times, including at their private residences, according to an accompanying statement of intent.
The bill also reportedly directs additional funds to the Senate sergeant at arms to coordinate new security programs, while the House sergeant at arms must brief two House committees on security enhancements within 30 days of the bill’s passage.
The House sergeant at arms will receive $100 million to provide security for members and their families.
The US Capitol Police, tasked with protecting Congress and the Capitol complex, will receive $852.2 million, a notable increase reflecting mounting concern about the safety of lawmakers following a series of high-profile threats and attacks.
Senators gain power to sue over secret data seizures
In a separate but reportedly politically charged provision, the shutdown-ending package also creates new legal rights for senators to sue the federal government if law enforcement agencies seize or subpoena their communications data without notice.
Each violation could result in $500,000 in damages, and lawsuits can be brought up to five years after a senator becomes aware of a breach. The measure applies retroactively to cases dating back to January 2022.
The new protections appear to respond to claims that special counsel Jack Smith’s team and the FBI allegedly obtained phone records from eight Republican senators and one House member as part of the 2023 investigation into President Donald Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.
Senate Republicans revealed in October that the FBI had subpoenaed those call records covering communications made before and after the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, without notifying the lawmakers involved.
Limits on federal immunity and expanded notification rules
Under the legislation, service providers must now alert both Senate offices and the Senate sergeant at arms if any federal agency requests a senator’s data.
Courts are barred from delaying such notifications unless the senator is the target of a criminal investigation.
The measure also strips the government of certain immunities that could otherwise block lawsuits.
It states that “any Senator whose Senate data has been acquired, subpoenaed, searched, accessed, or disclosed in violation of this section may bring a civil action against the United States.”
