Two days ago, five men were arrested for allegedly planning to use explosive drones and snipers to attack a public event on the White House lawn, with thousands of people in the crowd. The FBI stopped it. That is exactly what we want our federal law enforcement to do — and it worked because people had tools to report what they were seeing and agents had resources to act on those tips quickly.
But here is what worries me: Congress has been debating cuts to the very threat-assessment and prevention programs that support this kind of investigation. We have also watched red-flag laws — tools that let courts temporarily remove weapons from someone who is clearly on a dangerous path — get blocked or underfunded at the federal level year after year. The men in this alleged plot reportedly discussed their plans openly enough that someone noticed. That only matters if we have funded the pipelines for tips to reach trained investigators and the legal tools to act fast.
I am asking you to support full funding for FBI domestic terrorism prevention programs and to co-sponsor the Bipartisan Background Checks Act or any current legislation that strengthens our ability to flag dangerous individuals before they act. Families going to a public event — a birthday party on the White House lawn, a concert, a baseball game — deserve to know we are not cutting the safety net underneath them to score a budget point.
Please don't let the lesson of this week be forgotten by next month's budget vote.
