Senate sends bill to require enhanced security for presidential nominees to Biden’s desk

A bipartisan bill to direct the Secret Service to extend presidential-level protection to major presidential and vice presidential nominees has cleared Congress and is on its way to President Biden to be signed into law.

The House passed the bill on Friday in a 405-0 vote, and the Senate passed it Tuesday by unanimous consent, a fast-track process that allows the chamber to skip a roll-call vote when no senators object.

Lawmakers introduced the legislation after the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was inches from being killed when a bullet grazed his ear.

House leaders decided to prioritize the bill’s passage after a second near attempt on Mr. Trump’s life when he was golfing on Sept. 15 in West Palm Beach, Florida. That gunman was caught before he could fire any shots but had written a diatribe confirming he intended to assassinate Mr. Trump, according to prosecutors.

That both chambers unanimously passed the bill within nine days of the second attempt shows the bipartisan urgency around protecting Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and their running mates heading into the final stretch before the Nov. 5 election.

“The safety and security of those seeking to lead our nation should never be in jeopardy and should be applied regardless of party. That’s why these bills ensure all presidential nominees, both now and in the future, are provided the enhanced protection they clearly require and deserve,” said Sen. Rick Scott, Florida Republican and the lead Senate sponsor of the legislation.

Secret Service acting Director Ronald Rowe said at a news conference Friday that Mr. Trump is already “getting everything that the current president has with respect to Secret Service assets.”

That’s because Mr. Biden ordered “the highest levels of protection” for Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris after the Butler shooting, he said.

Mr. Rowe used slightly different phrasing in describing the current security posture for Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the GOP vice presidential nominee, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, saying they were previously elevated to “high levels of Secret Service protection.”