Congressional baseball practice shooting
House members were worried about their own safety prior to the congressional baseball practice shooting
House members had been expressing fears for their safety with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as recently as last week, USA Today reports. Tensions boiled over at an all-member meeting on Wednesday, which followed a shooting at a congressional baseball practice that left Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) in critical condition.
Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) had reportedly voiced concerns directly to Ryan last week. Following Wednesday's attack, Republicans, including Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Maine), were also among those speaking up. Both Republicans and Democrats received threatening messages after the baseball attack.
"While it's impractical to assign a security detail to every member of Congress, [one] lawmaker said individual congressional office budgets are often too meager to afford the most secure space — the kind that includes multiple entry and exit points and buffer areas between public waiting areas and back offices," USA Today writes.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) urged new security measures: "In more recent years, I have been praying … for our safety," she said.