Issues Facing the United States Secret Service

Chapter 1 examines how the United States Secret Service can more effectively achieve its mission of protecting the Nation's leaders and financial systems. This hearing will address agency staffing, recruitment, and morale improvement efforts as well as agency challenges, such as resource constraints and misconduct. The U.S. Secret Service (Secret Service) vets individuals differently depending on the person's expected proximity to the President when he travels, including during his visits to Mar-a-Lago. Chapter 2 provides information on, among other things: the vetting of individuals expected to be near the President; efforts to establish secure areas for handling classified information; and regulations and processes for agency expenditures on employees who travel with the President. It is estimated that federal agencies incurred costs of about $13.6 million for the President's four trips to Mar-a-Lago from February 3 through March 5, 2017. Chapter 3 examines (1) the costs incurred by federal agencies associated with the President's travel on selected trips to Mar-a-Lago, (2) the costs incurred by federal agencies associated with certain overseas trips taken by Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump, and (3) the extent to which the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, and DOD have reported their costs pursuant to the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976. Chapter 4 is an amendment to the Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2016. It extends the Secret Service overtime pay exception through 2019. Chapter 5 is a copy of the Secret Service Recruitment and Retention Act of 2018 Chapter 6 reviews the Secret Service's oversight of its IT portfolio and workforce. This chapter discusses the extent to which the (1) CIO implemented selected IT oversight responsibilities, (2) Secret Service implemented leading IT workforce planning and management practices, and (3) Secret Service and DHS implemented selected performance monitoring practices for IITT. See more