Minnesota Lawmakers Shootings

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, last night, law enforcement apprehended the man suspected in the assassination of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband and the shootings of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife.

We in the Senate thank our law enforcement for their remarkable work in bringing the attacker into custody. As we have all seen, the attacker planned to continue his killing spree had he not been thwarted and had a list of over 70 public officials potentially targeted for violence, including Members of the Senate. Naturally, a number of Members in the Senate remain profoundly shaken. The victims were friends of our colleagues from Minnesota. Some of them were together at a dinner the night before the shooting. To think that one moment, you can celebrate each other's company--laugh and joke, share a meal, a drink--only for violence to strike the next moment makes us all sick to our stomachs. It is haunting.

My prayers are with the families of the victims. I am heartbroken for the loss of Representative Hortman and her husband. I can't get their faces--those nice pictures of such nice people--out of my mind.

On the other hand, I am glad to hear Senator Hoffman and his wife are making progress toward recovery. May God bless them all and their loved ones.

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