Federal law enforcement officials told lawmakers Thursday that mail containing “suspicious substances” had been sent to some Capitol Hill offices, including those of Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) and Alex Padilla (D-California).
No House members have been identified as the intended recipients of the mail, according to an email from House Sergeant at Arms William P. McFarland obtained by The Washington Post.
In an email sent to Senate staff Thursday, the Senate’s sergeant at arms said that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI and Capitol Police were investigating multiple suspicious letters, and warned lawmakers to be on guard for unusual mail.
“Law enforcement officials are working to intercept any additional letters before they are delivered, however, it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations,” the email states.
Several other pieces of suspicious mail were sent to state officials this week, the FBI said. The offices of the secretary of state in Ohio and Louisiana, as well as the office of the state election board in Oklahoma and Delaware’s Department of Elections said they were among the recipients. In a statement to The Post, the FBI said that are investigating that mail, with the help of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the FBI said. “We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”
It was not immediately clear if the letters sent to the congressional offices were linked to the ones sent to state offices.
In a statement, Josh Sorbe, a spokesman for Murphy, said Murphy’s office received a letter with a “suspicious substance” and that the team was “promptly informed of the letter by FBI, SAA, and Capitol Police, and we continue to work closely with them and federal law enforcement.”
Jackie McGuinness, a spokeswoman for Padilla, said Padilla’s office was notified by the FBI that one of his offices was mailed a letter containing a suspicious substance that was intercepted by the U.S. Postal Service.
Authorities said other mail with suspicious contents sent to the Capitol Hill complex was identified. Mail and packages delivered to the House and the Senate first go through a rigorous screening before being handed to members’ offices.
Officials did not immediately clarify which other offices received the letters. Capitol Police and the Postal Inspection Service referred comment to the FBI, and the FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Concern about potential — and actual — attacks on public servants has been on the rise in recent years, amid an uptick in insults, harassment, and violence against lawmakers and officials.
In April 2025, a man firebombed the residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) while he and his family slept inside. In June of that year, a gunman killed a Democratic state representative and her husband in their Minnesota home. President Donald Trump has survived two assassination attempts. Threats against members of Congress, their staff and their families skyrocketed in 2025, according to data from the Capitol Police released in January, climbing for the third year in a row.
“People continue to have a false sense of anonymity online, which has resulted in more investigations during the past several years,” according to the Capitol Police. Across both political parties, lawmakers find their inboxes, voicemails and social media comments clogged with vitriol.
According to a survey released this summer by Princeton University and nonpartisan nonprofit CivicPulse, 17 percent of surveyed local elected officials across the country reported being threatened during the first three months of 2026 and 39 percent reported being harassed.
Three quarters said they were less willing to engage in political or civic activities, such as running for higher office or working on controversial issues, because of safety and security concerns. These impacts are especially pronounced for new officeholders, women officials and minority officials, according to researchers.
Earlier this year, two Supreme Court justices made a rare trip to Capitol Hill, telling lawmakers that the growing number of threats necessitated a significant expansion of the court’s security funding.
Patrick Marley contributed to this report.
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