Press Releases
Rep. Lawler's Bill Enhancing Secret Service Protection for Vice President Harris and Former President Trump Passes House 405-0
Washington, DC,
September 20, 2024
Today, the Enhanced Presidential Security Act of 2024 – Representative Mike Lawler's (R-NY-17) bill introduced with Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15) to provide enhanced United States Secret Service protection for former President Trump and Vice President Harris – passed the House 405-0. On the passage of the legislation, Representatives Torres and Lawler issued the following statement: "It is in the direct national security interest of the United States of America to provide the best protection in its power of its presidents and presidential candidates. History has shown that assassinations can massively disrupt our nation’s political system, cause dangerous disorder and chaos, and embolden further violence. The two recent attempts on former President Trump’s life showed the world that unfortunately, the Secret Service has serious gaps in protection, and more must be done to ensure no one can take advantage of those vulnerabilities," the lawmakers said. "We are deeply grateful to our colleagues in the House for voting overwhelmingly today in support of our bill, the Enhanced Presidential Security Act. We thank President Biden for recently taking action to increase former President Trump’s Secret Service detail. However, without the passage and implementation of this legislation, this enhanced protection will not be codified into law and is subject to change with time. We urge the Senate and President Biden to get the Enhanced Presidential Security Act through the finish line for the good of the American people," concluded the lawmakers. Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of the 118th Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. |