House to vote on giving presidential candidates security equal to a sitting president

The House will vote this week on a bill to require party presidential nominees to receive the same level of Secret Service protection as a sitting president, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Louisiana Republican, announced.

The measure is designed to increase protection for former President Donald Trump after two assassination attempts in two months against the Republican nominee. But it would also extend enhanced protection to the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“It’s unacceptable that now we’re at two assassination attempts on President Trump,” Mr. Scalise said. “And luck can not be a strategy by the Secret Service to have stopped these attempts.”

The bipartisan bill from New York Reps. Mike Lawler, a Republican, and Ritchie Torres, a Democrat, would direct the Secret Service to “apply the same standards for determining the number of agents required to protect Presidents, Vice Presidents, and major Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates.”

Mr. Lawler said on X that Sunday’s second assassination attempt on Mr. Trump makes it “imperative” to get the bill passed.

Mr. Scalise said the Secret Service can shift existing resources to provide enhanced security and should not need new funding.

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“Every year since 2017, Congress has added more money to the Secret Service’s budget than they even requested in their budget. And so it’s not an issue of money,” he said.

The Secret Service could also change its policies without congressional intervention, and several GOP lawmakers have already written to Ronald Rowe, the agency’s acting director, to request he provide Mr. Trump with the same level of protection as a sitting president.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he called the White House on Tuesday to demand President Biden direct the Secret Service to take that step.

“We need Donald Trump to be protected as any candidate of his stature would be,” the Louisiana Republican said.

“I think the White House, I hope the White House will see the wisdom in that,” Mr. Johnson said. “And I hope that they’ll do everything they can because the buck stops at the White House.”