WASHINGTON – Five days after the second assassination attempt against former President Donald TrumpThe House of Representatives on Friday unanimously passed bipartisan legislation that would increase Secret Service protections for bipartisan presidential nominees Trump and Kamala Harris, as well as their vice presidential nominees.
The vote was 405-0. It required the support of two-thirds of the House of Representatives to pass because it came to the floor through an expedited process.
The adoption of the bill comes as MPs grapple on how to combat the growing threats of violence against major political figures in the United States November elections. Some lawmakers have called for more funding for the Secret Service, while others have said the Secret Service could be more effective by reallocating resources.
Specifically, Enhanced Presidential Security Act — Representatives Mike Lawler, RN.Y. and Ritchie Torres, DN.Y. presented by — would require the Secret Service to “apply the same standards for determining the number of agents required to protect Presidents, Vice Presidents, and the primary candidates for the Presidency and Vice Presidency.”
The bill is only three pages long and gives the Secret Service broad discretion in how to determine staffing levels. But if signed into law, Trump and Harris would be given the same standard of Secret Security protection as President Joe Biden.
“We as the federal government have a responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of these candidates. One of them will be president, and the election should be decided by the voters at the ballot box, not by an assassin’s bullet,” Lawler told reporters.
“If the Secret Service’s argument is that they don’t have enough resources or they don’t have enough manpower,” he said, “then that needs to be addressed immediately.”
Despite the overwhelming bipartisan House vote, it is unclear how the Senate will address the security issue. Officials from both chambers are debating whether to include additional funding for the Secret Service in a temporary funding bill that Congress must pass by Sept. 30. prevent a government shutdown.
Biden said this week that the Secret Service “needs more help” and urged Congress to act. Both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have pledged to get what the Secret Service needs.
This week, GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, a Trump ally who represents the state where the FBI says the second attempt on Trump’s life took place, released a statement. companion account To someone passing by Friday’s house. All 12 co-sponsors of Scott’s Protect Our Presidents Act are Republicans.
“In just 65 days, two demented individuals attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump, and one managed to shoot him in the head,” Scott said. “It is unthinkable that this could happen in America today, and it calls for immediate action by Congress.”
Some senators suggested the bill may not be necessary, saying Trump has the same level of security as Biden.
“No, there’s no need to pass the House bill,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said, adding, “It already has protections.”
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he wanted the Secret Service to “clarify what the existing practices are” to confirm it. “I don’t see why there would be any difference between the protections given to President Biden, Vice President Harris and President Trump. Let him adopt a law for this.”
Secret Service officials briefed congressional leaders and key committees on the second attempt at Trump in less than 10 weeks. On Sunday, a Secret Service agent shot the suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, after seeing him pull a rifle out of the bushes outside Trump’s Mar-a-Lago golf course.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said the agency should conduct an operation after the incident complete overhaul how he defends presidents and calls for a “paradigm shift.”
After the first assassination attempt on Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, Rowe told top lawmakers on September 5 that the security failure there was not the result of inadequate resources.
The Secret Service’s budget has grown steadily in recent years. Congress has appropriated $3.1 billion for the Secret Service for the current fiscal year 2024, which is $265.6 million more than funding for fiscal year 2023 and $2023 million more than the $1.8 billion appropriated a decade ago. is much more.
Kate Santaliz, Julie Tsirkin, Frank Thorpe W and Kyle Stewart contributed.