House passes bill to fund overtime pay for Secret Service agents

The House passed legislation on Tuesday to ensure that Secret Service agents are paid for overtime work after the agency hit its spending limits this year while protecting President Trump and his family.

The size of Trump’s family and its frequent travel and multiple residences have strained the Secret Service budget this year, which has resulted in agents effectively working without pay.

More than 1,000 have already reached the caps for salary and overtime pay before the end of this year; that amounts to about a third of the agent workforce.

{mosads}

Under the legislation passed by a vote of 407-4 on Tuesday, the Secret Service could raise agents’ maximum salary and overtime to $187,000, up from $161,900, for this year and in 2018. The bill will now proceed to the Senate.

The Secret Service would also have to submit a report to Congress on its recruitment and retention efforts.

“This agency has struggled to improve employee morale in recent years, due, in large part, to strict overtime pay caps that prevent adequate compensation for their work,” said Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), who authored the bipartisan legislation.

“This, in turn, leads to challenges in retention and recruitment, further exacerbating staffing shortages,” Katko added.

Congress enacted similar legislation last year to fund overtime pay for more than 1,000 Secret Service employees during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump frequently travels to his properties in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia, which requires additional logistics and expenses for the Secret Service. Those costs have included tens of thousands of dollars on golf cart rentals alone.

Apart from the president’s travel, the Secret Service has also incurred expenses while protecting his adult children.

Secret Service Director Randolph Alles first told USA Today in August that agents had already reached the federally mandated limits for salary and overtime.

Alles said at the time that the Secret Service is working to protect a record number of people associated with the White House. A total of 42 people were receiving protection, which included 18 members of the Trump family. By contrast, 31 people had Secret Service protection during the Obama administration.