Suspicious mailings have led to evacuations at U.S. congressional offices ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election, disrupting staff work as the FBI investigates who sent the letters.
The Guardian reported that offices of more than three dozen members of Congress had been targeted as of Monday, Oct. 19. Federal authorities have not confirmed a total.
An envelope containing a suspicious substance prompted the evacuation of U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam’s district office in Leesburg, Virginia, on Monday. Loudoun County Fire & Rescue told WJLA its hazardous-materials technicians found no hazardous material and cleared the building. Subramanyam called the acts political intimidation, saying they “have no place in our country.”
At U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s Santa Cruz, California, office, a staff member opened an envelope containing white powder on Friday, Oct. 16. Panetta said staff left the office and 911 was called; medical officials initially cleared them.
U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten said her Grand Rapids, Michigan, office received unidentified powder and a letter referring to a “civil war” after the election on Oct. 16. The letter claimed to be from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which denied involvement in a statement CBS Detroit reported receiving.
House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland warned that more congressional offices might receive letters, according to a memo Roll Call reported obtaining on Monday. The memo said that by Oct. 19, officials had not established that a letter delivered to a congressional office contained hazardous material. Deseret News reported that mail sent to district offices may receive less screening than mail sent to the Capitol.
The FBI said it is working to identify who sent the mailings. EconoTimes previously covered suspicious mail sent to election offices and Senate Democrats. The 2026 U.S. House and Senate general election is scheduled for Nov. 3.
