'Our lives are in danger': Lawmakers cancel events, critique security after Kirk shooting

WASHINGTON – Charlie Kirk's assassination has left members of Congress in a state of fear for their safety, causing some to cancel events and renew pushes to beef up their security.

Two Democrats, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont, called off a town hall that was set for the afternoon of Sept. 12. Erik Shelley, a spokesperson for the event, told The Detroit News, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the cancellation wasn't because of a specific threat. But it was related to heightened political tensions nationwide since Kirk's Sept. 10 killing.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, also postponed a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. She criticized the security precautions offered to members of Congress, telling reporters they're from a "bygone era."

“From the moment I was elected, I have felt that I accept a certain level of risk in doing this job,” she said.

Republicans are frightened, too. Rep. Nancy Mace told CNN she would start open carrying a gun again in her home state of South Carolina, where the practice is legal. After canceling all outdoor events for the forseeable future, Mace said her security team should be doubled.

"Our lives are in danger," said Mace, who is mounting a run for governor in 2026. "I don't feel safe walking outside right now."

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sept. 11 that congressional leadership is undertaking a "thorough review" of security measures for members. He pointed to a pilot program announced in July that allows lawmakers to hire personal security guards when they're traveling.

Yet providing a full security detail for every member of Congress is not a possibility, he told reporters. It would cost billions of dollars and require thousands of additional Capitol police.

"There are many security measures in place for members of Congress, at their homes, at their offices, and when they go about," he said. "But we live in a dangerous society, and it's difficult to cover even the president of the Untied States from every angle."

Congress is no stranger to traumatic run-ins with violence. On Jan. 6, 2021, a riot at the U.S. Capitol during the certification ceremony for Joe Biden's election win led to several deaths and numerous injuries. In 2022, a man broke into the home of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and left her husband seriously injured. Then-House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and three others were shot in 2017 during a Republican practice for the Congressional baseball game. A 2012 attempted assassination of Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabriel Giffords led to 19 people being shot, including six deaths.

In a Sept. 12 interview on "Fox and Friends," President Donald Trump urged lawmakers to "go forward" with planned events – but with caution.

Politics, the two-term GOP president said, is a "dangerous business."

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.