In the weeks following nearly consecutive assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump, the Senate unanimously approved bipartisan legislation that would increase Secret Service protection for leading presidential candidates.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced the Protect Our President Act, which would increase United States Secret Service (USSS) protection for presidential candidates to the same level currently provided to a sitting president. However, the candidate is free to reject this measure.
It would also extend that protection at the presidential level to vice presidential candidates, in this case Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn.
“Over the course of just 65 days, two deranged individuals attempted to kill President Donald Trump, and one succeeded… Shoot him in the head“Scott wrote during the bill’s introduction.
RICK SCOTT LEADS EFFORT TO STRENGTHEN SECRET SERVICE PROTECTIONS AFTER SECOND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON TRUMP
A side-by-side photo of former US President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)
Additionally, the bill would require the Secret Service to periodically brief House and Senate leaders on the status of candidate protection.
The regular report would require the agency to provide a report on candidate protection every 15 days during a presidential election year.
These reports would include threat levels, security measures, costs, number of staff assigned, and any unmet needs.
The report would also include the threat level for each presidential candidate, the security measures being implemented, the associated costs, the number of personnel permanently assigned to each protective detail, and any unmet security needs.
FBI investigators carry a box of evidence from the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (Mega for Fox News Digital)
In A press releaseSen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said the bill would “ensure” that all candidates receive adequate protection.
“Our nation has witnessed two horrific assassination attempts on President Trump. We were mere inches away from a catastrophic event that would have changed the course of our history,” he wrote. “This cannot happen again. The Protect Our Presidents Act will ensure that all presidential candidates receive the same level of protection afforded to the president. This will give law enforcement the resources they need to keep President Trump and all candidates safe.”
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Fox News Julia Johnson and David Spunt and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.
