Aftershocks of Kirk’s murder; lawmakers, White House seek increased security budget.
Four days after the shooting of Charlie Kirk, a conservative media activist and well-known figure who played a major role in the trend of American youth towards Donald Trump in the November 2024 elections, the American political atmosphere seems to be witnessing the aftershocks of this murder.
According to a news report published by The Washington Times, lawmakers in the United States Congress have requested a $20,000 increase in the security budget in order to increase the level of protection for representatives.
Reports indicate that following the murder, which has attracted the attention of many analysts, especially on the eve of the September 11 attacks, members of both the Republican and Democratic parties are concerned about the increase in violence in the United States and believe that this action showed the lengths to which some opponents will go to silence opposing voices.
In a report addressing the controversies following Kirk’s assassination, the Washington Times noted that Trump himself was the target of assassination attempts twice during his election campaign.
In April, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was firebombed while he was at home, setting his house on fire.
In June, two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota and their wives were shot. Minnesota Representative Melissa Hurtman and her husband were killed, but Senator John Hoffman and his wife survived.
Analysts say the string of deadly incidents in the United States is just one of the many events that have taken place in the past 14 months, a situation that an NPR analyst has called “a period of great instability in the United States.”
Following these events, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Chief of Staff Brian Steele announced a plan that would double the amount lawmakers can spend on installing home security systems to $20,000. They also temporarily increased the monthly security and maintenance allowance for members of Congress from $150 to $5,000 and announced that lawmakers could use the additional funds to hire personal security guards.