The House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to increase the Secret Service protection of presidential candidates.
The Enhanced Presidential Security Act, sponsored by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY) received 405 votes in favor and 0 in opposition.
Twenty-six representatives did not vote.
According to the bill, the Secret Service is required to “apply the same standards for determining the number of agents required to protect Presidents, Vice Presidents, and major Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, and for other purposes.”
“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,” Lawler and Torres said in a joint statement. “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.”
They said they were “deeply grateful to [their] 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.”