re: Secret Service is broke

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The Secret Service issued a statement after the USA Today reported how the agency has struggled to handle a heightened workload protecting Trump since last year’s campaign. The president frequently travels to his properties in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia, and agents must protect more people in than previous administrations. Trump has 42 protectees, including 18 members of his family. There were 31 protectees under President Obama, something that Alles told the paper had posed a challenge. Alles, however, said the difficulties can’t “be attributed to the current administration’s protection requirements, but rather has been an ongoing issue for nearly a decade due to an overall increase in operational tempo.”

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LINK

This is the kind of shite I only care about because other people cared about it.

Remember when Michelle Obama spent like $800 million dollars (it wasn't that, it could be a fraction of that; it was always a fake number) on a vacation, and everyone lost their minds? Didn't happen. But right wingers LOST THEIR MINDS.

I really just don't care. The President has to be safe, and so does his family. Pay for it. Budget for it. Easy enough.

Has anyone read the article? This is an ongoing problem since before Trump; but his big family and frequent travel brought it to a head. I have a feeling when Trump is made aware he will donate his salary to the SS from now on. If you read the entire article it is a call for Congress to pass something to pay: the capped out paychecks.

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Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee who was the first lawmaker to sound the alarm after last year's disclosure that hundreds of agents had maxed out on pay, recently spoke with Alles and pledged support for a more permanent fix, Werner said.

"We cannot expect the Secret Service to be able to recruit and keep the best of the best if they are not being paid for these increases (in overtime hours)."

South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, the Republican chairman of the House oversight panel, is "working with other committees of jurisdiction to explore ways in which we can best support'' the Secret Service, his spokesperson Amanda Gonzalez said.

Talks also are underway in the Senate, where the Secret Service has briefed members of the Homeland Security Committee, which directly oversees the the agency's operations.

"Ensuring the men and women who put their lives on the line protecting the president, his family and others every day are getting paid fairly for their work is a priority,'' said Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, the panel's top Democrat. "I'm committed to working with my colleagues on both sides to get this done.''

Without some legislative relief, though, at least 1,100 agents – for now – would not be eligible for overtime even as one of the agency's largest protective assignments looms next month. Nearly 150 foreign heads of state are expected to converge on New York City for the United Nations General Assembly.

Because of the sheer number of high-level dignitaries, the United Nations gathering is traditionally designated by the U.S., as a "National Special Security Event" and requires a massive deployment of security resources managed by the Secret Service.

That will be even trickier this year. "Normally, we are not this tapped out,'' said Alles, whom Trump appointed to his post in April.

The agents who have reached their compensation limits this year represent about a third of the Secret Service workforce, which was pressed last year to secure both national political conventions in the midst of a rollicking campaign cycle. The campaign featured regular clashes involving protesters at Trump rallies across the country, prompting the Secret Service at one point to erect bike racks as buffers around stages to thwart potential rushes from people in the crowd.

Officials had hoped that the agency's workload would normalize after the inauguration, but the president's frequent weekend trips, his family's business travel and the higher number of protectees has made that impossible.

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It is very unprofessional of the SS head to leak this to USA Today. As it is used as a political gotcha; while a POTUS gets assassination threats because of political butthurt. It is plain wrong and usually a bipartisan issue and he should be fired.

Not a big deal. SirWinston and the ProudBoys are ready to step in whenever they're needed.

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Pretty sure that makes them less able to find the money

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Cut Welfare, Section 8 and Food stamps to pay for it. Those people don't need govmunt' help, they need a job.

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This is concrete and can't be faked. Cash on hand has zero effect on this.

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Oh, what a budget expert!