Billions of dollars are spent by the government every year. A portion of the budget is going toward security, but the cost of it is rising. These past few years, the United States has found itself in a self-destructive state, the passionate polarization of the two political parties being the main contributor. An unfortunate consequence of this polarization is an increase in violence. In 2021, there was a spike in the budget reserved for protecting government officials. This was due to a series of threats and attacks that raised an argument for a budget increase.
According to an article from The Hill, in August of 2022, United States Democratic Representative for California, Eric Swalwell, stated that he received a call threatening to kill him with an assault rifle in his office. Swalwell claimed that this threat and countless others were caused by Representative Kevin McCarthy’s accusations of him being a liability to national security.
“We believe today’s political climate calls for more resources to provide an additional layer of physical security for Members of Congress.” In an article by Roll Call, Chief of Police Thomas Manger calls for increased security funds after Congress member Nancy Pelosi was the target of an attack. Pelosi was in Washington at the time and was not harmed, but the intruder came into the house with a hammer and attacked Paul, her husband, and he was sent to the hospital.
According to a Forbes article, the debt in America is at 33 trillion dollars. This debt is constantly increasing and the government is trying to control it, but due to the COVID-19 lockdown and Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, it continues to rise. America is currently in an economic crisis and inflation is taking control. Based on Reuters publication, last year, President Joe Biden met with McCarthy to discuss the debt ceiling, which is the total amount of funding the government is allowed to borrow. Maya MacGuienas, president of a non-profit committee for a responsible federal budget, said, “If lawmakers ever needed a wake-up call this is it. Meager tax revenue is exactly the kind of news we don’t need right now.”
Politicians may not be everyone’s favorite, but what is causing people to take action through threat and barbarity? And how much money will the government spend to protect these politicians? How much is too much?
