Senate Unanimously Passes Bill for Equal Secret Service Protection

The Senate unanimously passed a bill guaranteeing that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris receive the same level of Secret Service protection as a sitting president. Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida brought the legislation to the floor almost days after the House of Representatives passed it unanimously, 405-0. It now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

“Passing the act today with unanimous consent of the Senate sends an important message to the American public and the world that we will not ignore these threats, which are truly an attack on our democratic process, and have rightly shocked the world,” Scott said in a statement. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut chose not to object but noted that he does not believe it changes how the Secret Service assesses threats.

“Let’s move ahead with this bill,” Murphy said. “I don’t think it actually solves the problem; let’s pass the additional money so that they have everything they need, the Secret Service, in order to get the job done, and then let’s sit down and have a broader conversation about why we have seen this spike in political violence, and what other ways Republicans and Democrats can come together.”

The Secret Service is under scrutiny in Congress after two apparent assassination attempts on Trump, the first on July 13 at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and the second on September 15 at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida. Following the first assassination attempt on July 13, the Secret Service moved to increase assets to an already enhanced security posture for the former president,” Ronald Rowe Jr., acting director of the US Secret Service, said at a briefing the day after the September incident.

Rowe added that President Biden made it clear he wanted the highest levels of protection for former President Trump and for Vice President Harris, and those measures had been implemented. Congress is considering additional money for the Secret Service as part of its effort to keep the government funded ahead of a September 30 deadline. An additional $231 million for the Secret Service is included in a continuing resolution the House could vote on as soon as Wednesday.