Chairman Thompson Requests Secret Service Cost to Protect President Trump and Family
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to the Director of the U.S. Secret Service to request information on the cost to American taxpayers to protect President Trump and his family on travel.
Letter excerpts:
President Trump and his family require 24-hour protection from the Secret Service, including trips taken for both official business and personal reasons. Such trips require the Secret Service to provide personnel for the advance team, protective detail, and on-site support.
In January 2019, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined the costs incurred by federal agencies to support President Trump and his family’s travel. The office estimated that the Secret Service spent approximately $1.6 million in taxpayer money to provide support for four trips the President took to his Mar-a-Lago property between February and March 2017. Additionally, the Secret Service reportedly spent $390,000 to protect the President’s adult children and their spouses during three international trips between January and February 2017.
Although GAO has provided analysis on this topic, its review was focused on a select number of individual trips. The large number of protectees in the Trump family and their frequency of travel has already strained the Secret Service’s budget, making it important that this Committee fully understand the resources required of the Secret Service to protect the First Family. In order to assess the agency’s forthcoming Fiscal Year 2021 budget request, I am seeking information on the expenses your office has incurred to support the travel of President Trump and his family throughout his time in office.
# # #
Press Contact
Adam Comis at (202) 225-9978
Next Article Previous Article