In a rare show of bipartisanship in the House of Representatives, lawmakers unanimously voted to bolster Secret Service protection for major presidential candidates and their running mates.
The Enhanced Presidential Security Act of 2024 would require 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."
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The 405-0 vote came less than a week after an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Florida. He was previously wounded during an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July.
Following the incident in Pennsylvania, Kimberly Cheatle resigned as director of the Secret Service. Republicans and Democrats accused the agency of critical failures that allowed a gunman to fire shots at Trump's rally from a nearby rooftop.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. defended his agency's actions following the incident in Florida. He noted that an agent fired a shot at the suspect when he noticed a gun pointing through a fence at Trump's golf club. He added that the suspect never had a line of sight of the former president and didn't fire his weapon.
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While Republicans and Democrats agreed that more security is needed, it's still unclear how this bill would be funded. Complicating matters further, Sen. Chuck Schumer has still not said whether the bill would get a vote in the Senate.
