President Donald Trump’s large family and frequent trips are the main reasons the Secret Service is running out of funds to pay their hundreds of agents. The agency is somewhat having a difficult time keeping up with Trump and his travels to several of his properties in Virginia, Florida, and New Jersey.
Compound that with Trump’s family, who are constantly having business trips and vacations around the country as well in foreign countries.
Randolph Alles, the Secret Service director, said that the agency already used its federally mandated salary caps in a span of seven months, which is actually supposed to last the whole year.
Trump and his many travels
Since Trump has taken over the Oval Office, he has had several trips to his property in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, his place in Bedminster, New Jersey and a number of times to other golf clubs.
Trump’s travel to Mar-a-Lago, Florida alone costs the Secret Service three million dollars each, according to an estimate from the General Accounting. In addition, the agency this year spent around $60,000 renting golf carts to protect Trump in New Jersey and Florida.
The agency also protects Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, who frequently travel to foreign countries to promote their properties. For instance, when Eric traveled to Uruguay this year, the Secret Service spent $100,000 for hotel room expenses.
Their other overseas trips include the United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, and Dubai, where they officially opened a Trump International Golf Club.
Meanwhile, the agency assigned separate details for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner when they went on a skiing trip to Aspen, Colorado. Tiffany Trump and her boyfriend also require the agency’s protection when they traveled to Germany and Hungary for their vacation.
The Secret Service is now protecting a number of 42 people under the Trump administration. The agency only had to protect 31 from the previous Obama administration.
Secret Service agents’ salary
Alles said in an interview that unless Congress provides some solutions or additional funding, the agents won’t be able to get paid for the hours they have already worked.
Due to the frequent travels and overtime work Secret Service agents have to endure, he is asking officials to raise the mandated salary caps for agents from $160,000 to $187,000 a year for at least during the Trump administration. Assuming that this request is granted, it’s still won’t be enough to pay the 130 Secret Service agents who have already accumulated work hours.