WASHINGTON — Members of the House will soon have access to up to $20,000 a month to pay for personal security while they’re off the Hill — doubling the monthly amount currently available — and access to a mobile duress system, according to the House sergeant-at-arms.

Sergeant-at-Arms William McFarland announced the enhancements Monday in a “Dear Colleague” letter. The additional funds will be available Dec. 1 and will allow members to hire security personnel or companies for personal protection. It comes at a time of heightened threats and rising tensions over security for members of Congress.

“Covered services include accompanying a Member or providing residential coverage at a member’s home,” McFarland wrote in the letter, which was obtained by Roll Call. The program, which launched as a pilot in the summer, allows members to hire their own security personnel and get reimbursed by the SAA. Security personnel hired through the program are not permitted in the Capitol or on the grounds, McFarland wrote.

The June killing of Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and the slaying of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in September raised concerns for politicians across the country, particularly away from the heavily fortified walls of the Capitol. In the wake of both attacks, members of Congress called for enhanced protection.

In July, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the House Administration Committee announced the pilot program that allotted $5,000 per member per month to pay for security personnel away from the Capitol. In September, the House bumped the monthly allocation to $10,000 and extended it to Nov. 21. Now the monthly cap has been doubled and the program has been made permanent.

The House this summer also increased the lifetime Residential Security Program limit to $20,000, up from $10,000. That program was established by the SAA in 2022 and covers at-home enhancements. Accepted use of those funds has also expanded, according to McFarland. Members will now be able to use the money to pay for fences, gates, security doors, safe rooms and ballistic or forced-entry-resistant windows, according to the SAA letter.

Each member will also be eligible for up to $350 per month for security system monitoring and maintenance, the SAA said.

Meanwhile, the new mobile duress system will provide real-time alerts to members from local law enforcement, Capitol Police and the SAA. Members and up to one immediate family member will have access to the app, which can also be used to discreetly signal duress. It launches Dec. 1, according to McFarland’s letter.

The program expansions come on the heels of enactment of the fiscal 2026 Legislative Branch appropriations bill, which advanced out of Congress this month. Democratic and Republican lawmakers gave the House Sergeant-at-Arms a $106.5 million boost, up to $140.6 million in fiscal 2026.

Appropriators also budgeted $30 million for the Capitol Police to continue and expand its mutual aid program, which is used to reimburse local law enforcement for protecting lawmakers while in their home districts. They boosted total funding for the department to $852.4 million, up from $806.5 million in the prior fiscal year.

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