Secret Service Director Pushes For More Resources After Assassination Attempt

Ronald Rowe Jr., the acting director of the Secret Service, speaks during a news conference by law enforcement officials, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in West Palm

Following the recent apparent assassination attempt at former President Donald Trump's Florida golf course, Acting United States Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe has been actively advocating for increased resources for his agency. In light of this incident, Rowe has been emphasizing the need for additional support from Congress, both publicly and privately.

However, there is ongoing debate among lawmakers regarding whether the Secret Service is facing funding shortages or operational challenges. Many are questioning the feasibility of implementing significant security enhancements just 48 days before the upcoming presidential election, especially considering that two apparent assassination attempts against a former president occurred within a span of approximately 60 days.

Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, has urged the Secret Service to explore innovative solutions in their resource requests. He noted that hiring new agents at this juncture would not have a substantial impact before the inauguration. Instead, Murphy suggested considering options such as increased overtime costs and leveraging technology like drones to enhance security measures.

Debate among lawmakers on whether Secret Service faces funding shortages or operational challenges.

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe seeks increased resources post-assassination attempt on Trump.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy suggests innovative solutions like increased overtime and technology use.

Sources indicate that discussions are underway about potentially allocating additional funding to the government funding extension, which must be approved by September 30. Senate appropriators and the Biden administration are in negotiations to determine the amount of funding to allocate to the Secret Service in the upcoming stopgap bill. This additional funding could amount to 'hundreds of millions of dollars' to bolster the agency's budget or could involve provisions allowing the agency to expedite the utilization of its existing funds.

Despite the push for increased resources, there is apprehension about allocating more funds to an agency whose budget has seen growth over the past decade without clear evidence of full accountability or resolution of the underlying issues that contributed to the recent security incidents.