In the hours after a Pennsylvania teenager fired several shots at former United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump, several members of Congress called for an investigation into how the Secret Service, whose job it is to protect presidents, candidates and their families, allowed such a thing happens.
At a press conference Saturday, representatives of the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police were asked about the building from which the gunman allegedly fired. “Those are the questions the Secret Service has to answer,” said Kevin Rojek, head of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office. There were no Secret Service representatives at the conference.
Congressional Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer sent a letter on Saturday requesting Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify on July 22nd. “Heads ought to roll over this,” wrote Congressman Tim Burchett on X and supported calls for a hearing earlier this week.
A budget of three billion dollars
Among other things, officials will surely put the Secret Service budget under the magnifying glass. The agency received more than $3 billion from taxpayers in its 2024 budget – up from last year’s $2.78 billion. It is definitely the largest amount of money the Secret Service has ever had at its disposal. Even accounting for the rate of inflation, the $3 billion is still $100 million more than last year’s budget and the highest amount since at least 2014, a Forbes analysis shows.
The agency, which functions as part of the Department of Homeland Security, has already spent $1.8 billion this fiscal year by the end of May (the U.S. government’s fiscal year begins on October 1st). Data from the Ministry of Finance show that the Secret Service spent more than 800 million dollars on “protection operations”, another 500 million dollars on field operations and 300 million dollars on “support”. Another $75 million was spent on training and professional development, $50 million on “protective countermeasures” and $20 million on computer forensics. A spokesman for the agency on X announced on Sunday that the service had recently stepped up security for former President Trump.
More recent scandals
Cheatle may also have to answer questions about the scandals that have piled up at the agency in recent years. Two years ago, four agents — including one protecting Biden’s wife, Jill Biden — were allegedly defrauded by two men disguised as federal agents who gave them gifts over a period of several months. Other embarrassing incidents include the 2012 Columbia prostitution scandal, the 2014 White House fence breach, and an agent publicly accusing Biden voters of betrayal in 2021 after the 2020 presidential election.
The Secret Service has been protecting presidents since 1901, after the assassination of William McKinley. Their role expanded to include former presidents and their wives in 1965, after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and they began protecting major candidates and their spouses in 1968, when Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated during his presidential campaign.
3000 agents employed
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of Bobby Kennedy who is currently an independent presidential candidate, has requested Secret Service protection several times, but each time the Department of Homeland Security has denied him, arguing that he does not meet the definition of a major candidate. Neither Kennedy’s staff nor the department responded to requests for comment.
Today, the Secret Service has more than 3,000 agents, as well as an additional 1,300 uniformed officers and 2,000 employees, according to its official website. Those numbers could soon grow: On Sunday, members of the House of Representatives announced plans for a bipartisan bill that would provide additional protections for Trump, Biden and Robert Kennedy Jr, Forbes writes.
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