In the aftermath of an apparent second attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, lawmakers are considering making changes to both funding and policy at the Secret Service.
Lawmakers have expressed bipartisan interest in increasing Trump’s security, but are divided on the best way to achieve that: some support additional funding while others called for policy changes.
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Sept. 16, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
On Sept. 15, a Secret Service agent opened fire after spotting the barrel of a gun poking through the perimeter fence of Trump International Golf Course, where Trump was playing golf. The weapon’s owner, Ryan Routh, fled but was later apprehended on nearby I-95 in Martin’s County, Florida. He’s been charged with two felony gun crimes.
The incident is being investigated by the FBI as an apparent attempted assassination.
It comes barely two months after Trump narrowly survived an assassin’s bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania—which had already raised scrutiny on the Secret Service. This second close-call has only elevated that scrutiny.
After the first attempt, acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said that the agency was operating with 400 fewer agents than it had a decade ago, despite progressive funding bumps. Rowe said the stringent hiring process and high private sector demand for agents is partially responsible for the shortfall.
President Joe Biden has said that the agency “needs more help,” and called on Congress to provide additional funding to the agency.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has indicated that the upper chamber plans to look into additional funding, possibly wrapping it into a stopgap funding bill ahead of the Sept. 30 government funding deadline.
Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) told The Epoch Times they’d support new Secret Service funding, but are uncertain about how much or by what means.
But some lawmakers are skeptical that adding funds would lessen the issue.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) suggested earlier this week that he’s skeptical funding is the best response.
“I think it’s a matter of manpower allocation. We don’t want to just throw more money at a broken system,” Johnson said.
Other proposals put forward in both chambers focus primarily on ensuring that presidential candidates receive the same protection as sitting presidents, including one by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) expected to see a floor vote sometime today.
Several Republicans in the House, including Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), told The Epoch Times that they believe policy and operational changes, not new funding, are needed.
While discussions are ongoing to add supplement funding for the Secret Service into a potential stopgap funding bill, it’s unclear whether Congress will ultimately opt to respond with funding, policy changes, or both.
—Joseph Lord
IRAN HACK: WHAT WE KNOW
Iran hacked the Trump campaign and passed along “unsolicited emails” to people associated with the Biden campaign this summer, according to the FBI.
This came weeks before President Joe Biden announced he was suspending his reelection bid before backing Vice President Kamala Harris, his then-running mate.
The FBI and the other agencies said that Iran has tried to send the stolen Trump data since June to media organizations.
In August, Iran had launched a multifaceted approach to influence the U.S. election and sow discord among the American electorate, according to the agencies.
“Foreign actors are increasing their election influence activities as we approach” the November election, the Wednesday joint statement said, adding that China and Russia are also trying to “exacerbate divisions in U.S. society for their own benefit.”
Also in August, software giant Microsoft said that Iran-backed hackers were targeting a high-ranking official of a U.S. presidential campaign using a phishing attack. Microsoft did not name which presidential campaign was targeted.
Google’s researchers said that same month that Iranian-sponsored hackers targeted the Biden and Trump campaigns in phishing attacks.
Since January 2020, the Iranian regime has issued threatening statements against the then-Trump administration following its order of the drone strike that killed Iranian official Qasem Soleimani.
—Jackson Richman and Jack Phillips
BOOKMARKS
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is pushing a short-term funding bill that aims to avert a government shutdown ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline. Schumer, who is hoping for bipartisan support on the bill, said he filed for cloture on the legislation on Thursday morning to give the Senate time for “maximum flexibility.”
The stock market responded positively on Sept. 19 to the news that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates by a half-percent. The DOW ended the day at 42,025.19 points, a record high.
Judge Maryellen Noreika has delayed sentencing Hunter Biden for illegally purchasing a firearm until Dec. 4. Biden was convicted in June of lying about his use of crack cocaine on an application to buy a revolver in 2018.
The Senate has passed a $2.9 billion emergency funding bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs, sending the package to President Joe Biden for final approval. The funding band-aid became a Congressional priority after the VA announced that it was facing a $15 billion shortfall earlier this year.
Officials in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, have decided not to allow the use of drop-in ballot boxes for the 2024 election. Citing fraud concerns, Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo said that even video surveillance was “not a foolproof means of ensuring compliance with voting laws.”
—Stacy Robinson
