The Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to boost former President Trump’s level of Secret Service protection, putting it one step away from becoming law less than two weeks after he was the subject of a second assassination attempt.
The bill, which was proposed by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) in the House days after the first assassination attempt, would require the Secret Service to “apply the same standards” to figure out how many agents should be used to protect the president, vice president, and those running for offices granted such protection.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who proposed a corresponding bill in the upper chamber, brought the bill up via unanimous request. No senator blocked that request, sending it to President Biden’s desk.
“The safety and security of those seeking to lead our nation should never be in jeopardy,” Scott said on the floor. “It 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.”
The legislation passed the House 405-0 last week.
The push came in the aftermath of a Secret Service officer shooting at the almost-assassin, Ryan Wesley Routh, and forcing him to flee as he waited for Trump on his golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The stopgap spending package that is set to be passed this week includes $231 million to bolster the Secret Service after lawmakers complained about the ongoing protection of Trump after the golf course incident and the July assassination attempt in Butler, Pa.
