Congressmen Ritchie Torres and Mike Lawler Celebrate the Passage of their Bipartisan Bill, The Enhanced Presidential Security Act of 2024

Today, New York Congressmen Ritchie Torres (NY-15) and Mike Lawler (NY-17) are celebrating the passage of H.R.9106, the Enhanced Presidential Security Act of 2024, by a vote of 405-0. Reps. Torres and Lawler introduced this bill in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. 

The Enhanced Presidential Security Act of 2024 would establish uniform standards for Secret Service protection of Presidents, Vice Presidents, and major Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates and forces a comprehensive review of the provision of protection by the Secret Service that must be submitted to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate. The legislation would also appropriate necessary funds in order to protect these individuals in the future.

On the passage of the legislation, Reps. Torres and Lawler issued the following joint statement:

“It is in the direct national security interest of the United States of America to provide the best protection in its power of its presidents and presidential candidates. History has shown that assassinations can massively disrupt our nation’s political system, cause dangerous disorder and chaos, and embolden further violence. The two recent attempts on former President Trump’s life showed the world that unfortunately, the Secret Service has serious gaps in protection, and more must be done to ensure no one can take advantage of those vulnerabilities.

“We are deeply grateful to our colleagues in the House for voting overwhelmingly today in support of our bill, the Enhanced Presidential Security Act. We thank President Biden for recently taking action to increase former President Trump’s Secret Service detail. However, without the passage and implementation of this legislation, this enhanced protection will not be codified into law and is subject to change with time. We urge the Senate and President Biden to get the Enhanced Presidential Security Act through the finish line for the good of the American people.”

The full bill text can be found here.