A constitutional amendment has been proposed by members of the House of Representatives to address a potential mass casualty event and discourage potential attacks and assassination attempts against U.S. lawmakers.
According to The Washington Post, two Republicans and two Democrats in the House of Representatives have proposed a constitutional amendment that would provide continued representation for American citizens in the event of a potential mass casualty incident by allowing House members to be quickly replaced. The lawmakers have argued that the amendment would discourage people from committing violent acts to change the House’s balance of power.
“We’ve seen a 300 percent increase in threats against members over the last seven years, according to the Capitol Police,” Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) recently said. “In an environment where we have seen a growing tendency toward political violence, imagine — horrifically — a baseball practice where someone has bad intentions and better aim. You can literally flip a majority for three to four months. Which I think is a frightening incentive for political violence.”
The Washington Post reported that while Senate vacancies can be filled with temporary appointments, the U.S. Constitution currently requires that all vacancies in the House be filled by an election. The outlet noted that a survey of state election officials revealed that states typically need three or four months to hold a special election to fill vacancies.
Kilmer warned, “That’s actually a really long time to have a vacancy if you’re in the midst of a national crisis.”
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The proposed amendment, which is also supported by Reps. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), William Timmons (R-S.C.), and Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.), would require each member of the House to give at least five names from their political party to their state’s governor that would be used to determine an interim appointee who would be selected within 10 days of a representative’s death. The appointee would serve until a special election could be held.
During a recent Committee on House Administration subcommittee hearing on the proposed amendment, Wenstrup urged Congress to consider the proposal as a way to remove any incentive for individuals to engage in political violence to change the balance of power in Washington, according to The Washington Post. Wenstrup pointed to the congressional baseball team attack in 2017 as evidence of the need for the amendment.
“A violent domestic terrorist attempted to assassinate Republican members of Congress,” Wenstrup said. “He had names in his pocket, descriptions in his pocket. This was a clear assassination attempt, and he decided to use murder or assassination as a tool for political change. He wanted to wipe out the Republican majority and change the balance of power.”
