Congress scrambles to ensure presidential candidates’ safety
Lawmakers are racing to ensure the U.S. Secret Service has the money and resources it needs to protect presidential candidates amid increasing threats of violence.
With the election just weeks away, it’s unclear how much can be done, or if extra funding will make an immediate impact.
After a gunman was arrested on former President Donald Trump’s golf course, the House passed bipartisan legislation on Friday, 405-0. The bill requires the Secret Service to use the same standards for assigning agents to major candidates as they do for presidents and vice presidents.
Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo
The agency has told Congress it already increased Trump’s security, but lawmakers want it codified into law.
This effort follows an assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in July. Secret Service agents recently arrested a man with a rifle on Trump’s Florida golf course. The suspect reportedly aimed to assassinate the GOP nominee.
“In America, elections are determined at the ballot box, not by an assassin’s bullet,” said Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., one of the bill’s sponsors. “That these incidents were allowed to occur is a stain on our country.”
With the election looming and Congress set to recess soon, lawmakers are scrambling to assess the Secret Service’s needs. Political violence is becoming more common, making every politician a target.
“We have a responsibility here in Congress to get down to the bottom of this,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “This is not a partisan issue.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday that “we’ve got to get the Secret Service into a position where its protectees are shielded in the most maximum way possible.”
Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo
Both parties are working with the Secret Service this week to determine if more resources are needed. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, chairman of the spending subcommittee overseeing the Secret Service, said Congress wants to ensure that any new money would improve security before the inauguration.
Murphy said new funds could go toward drones, technology, and overtime pay for agents. The funding may be added to a stopgap spending bill Congress will consider to keep the government running.
“I’m confident we are going to take care of this one way or the other,” Murphy said.
House Republicans have also launched a task force to investigate security failures. The task force will hold its first hearing next week. Secret Service officials told lawmakers they’ve already increased Trump’s security to match the level of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Senate has yet to decide whether it will consider similar legislation.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
