Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, announced Monday that Senate Democrats are willing to provide more funding to the Secret Service after former President Trump was the target of a second assassination attempt over the weekend.
Schumer said he spoke with Acting Director of the Secret Service Ronald Rowe Jr. on Sunday after the arrest of a man suspected of stalking Trump at a Florida golf course.
“I'm glad the former president is safe. I commend the Secret Service and all emergency responders for acting quickly before anyone was hurt,” Schumer said.
Police officials said the suspect, Ryan Routh, left behind a semi-automatic rifle and a scope after a Secret Service agent shot Trump while he was playing golf at his West Palm Beach club.
“There is no place in America for political violence of any kind,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “We must all do our part to ensure this never happens again, and that means Congress has a responsibility to ensure the Secret Service and all law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to do their jobs.”
“So as the appropriations process moves forward, if the Secret Service needs additional resources, we are prepared to provide that and will likely provide that in future funding agreements,” he said.
Congress needs to pass a short-term funding measure by September 30 to avert a government shutdown, and lawmakers are considering additional funding for the Secret Service to provide extra security for President Trump and Democratic Vice President Harris.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw told reporters on Sunday that the Secret Service “did exactly what it was supposed to do,” but added that Trump did not have the same level of security as a sitting president.
President Biden said Sunday that he had directed his administration to provide “all resources, capabilities and safeguards” needed to ensure Trump's “continued safety.”
Governor Schumer on Monday called for suspects in police custody in Florida to be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Trump was also the target of an assassination attempt on July 13, when a gunman opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
