On Friday, the House unanimously passed a bill requiring the Secret Service to apply the same protection standards to major presidential candidates as they do to sitting presidents. This comes in response to two assassination attempts on former President Trump. The bill passed with a 405-0 vote, exceeding the two-thirds majority needed.
It was originally introduced in July by Representatives Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) after the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Still, the bill now moves to the Senate, though it is unlikely to be addressed before the 2024 election unfolds.
The Secret Service informed the House task force on Wednesday that in the meantime, former President Trump’s security has been strengthened in response to the assassination attempts against him.
According to Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), President Biden directly ordered the Secret Service to provide Trump with the same high-level security given to Vice President Harris, comparable to what a sitting president usually receives. This includes counter assault, counter surveillance and drone teams, as well as emergency tactical response units, and a protective platoon stationed at Mar-a-Lago, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
However, an agency official remarked that the security for a candidate, even in the midst of repeated threats, can never be fully equal to that of a sitting president or vice president.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise highlighted a bill addressing Secret Service funding during a GOP leadership press conference, noting that since 2017, Congress has consistently allocated more money to the agency than requested. Scalise emphasized that funding is not the main issue, raising concerns about how the money has been used, particularly before the first assassination attempt on former President Trump.
Secret Service Acting Director praised Congress for its strong financial support, along with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for ensuring the agency’s needs are fulfilled.
Yet, the agency is currently short-staffed and needs to hire more agents, as they are “redlining” existing personnel.
