Even on an inflation-adjusted basis, the Secret Service has its highest-ever budget in at least a decade. Lawmakers are bound to be interested in how they’re using it.
In the hours after a Pennsylvania man allegedly fired several shots at former President Donald Trump before being killed by the Secret Service, multiple members of Congress called for investigations into how the agency tasked with protecting presidents, candidates and their families allowed such a close call.
At a press briefing Saturday, representatives from the FBI and state police were asked about the building that the alleged shooter had shot from. “We’ll really have to defer to Secret Service for those questions,” Kevin Rojek, who heads the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, replied. No Secret Service representative was present at the briefing.
House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer sent a letter Saturday demanding that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testify on July 22. “Heads ought to roll over this,” wrote Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee on X, formerly Twitter, before endorsing an expedited hearing this week.
One thing lawmakers will likely examine: the Secret Service’s budget. The agency, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, was allocated over $3 billion in taxpayer dollars in 2024—up from $2.
