Members of Congress are getting worried after threats increase and Capitol Police continue to be understaffed

Jan. 6 may have been the most terrifying moment in the lives of many members of Congress serving today, but that terror continues today as officials see more threats.

By Nov. 2021, the Capitol Police said they expected to reach 9,000 threats against officials that year. June, the Capitol Police reported a significant increase in threats against elected officials as of June 2022. That number hasn't gotten any better, Axios reported Sunday.

Any official is allowed to use campaign or office expenditures to pay for up to $10,000 in security fees. Now the House sergeant-at-arms is planning to cover the costs of security upgrades at the homes of officials up to $10,000 and up to $150 a month for monitoring and maintenance.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) announced in the past weeks that a man was outside her home with a handgun. He was then arrested. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) was attacked by a man with a sharp key chain who tried to stab him with it.

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) said that "everybody's on high alert" after some of these incidents.

"The threats are real, the increases have been unbelievable," he said. "We've got to do everything we can to try to make sure people are safe. Lot of wild cats out there."

While the Capitol Police and sergeant-at-arms are doing a lot, he thinks that there's more that needs to be done. The Capitol Police wouldn't reveal any details about the protection plan.

"I think we need a lot more. And, you know, I've learned a lot from going through this myself," Jayapal told Axios. She said she's grateful for the work that has been done but wants a pool of money available for members when there's a serious threat at their homes in the districts. A security assessment from a company told her that it would cost between $50,000 and $60,000 to secure her home.

She also wants to see security officials scrub the addresses of officials from public information for protection.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is another who has received death threats since joining Congress.

”If you’re on a certain committee, if you have a certain [leadership] title, your security is already taken care of. But increasingly, we are having … rank-and-file members, not just me, but many others, who are subject to increasing threats,” she explained to Axios.

Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) agreed, saying that after Zeldin was attacked, "there should’ve immediately been a Capitol Police detail going to New York to protect him.”

There's a problem, however, the Capitol Police are dramatically understaffed, Politico reported in Jan., with those out on leave or who have been forced to resign due to medical issues. There were about 400 officers out during that time. After seeing how they were treated on Jan. 6 people aren't rushing to join the ranks. In April, RollCall revealed that the Capitol Police have had to contract with private security contractors because staffing is such a big problem.

Read the full report at Axios.