WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced the Counter Secretary Negligence In Protecting Election Runners (SNIPER) Act. The legislation requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to determine a presidential candidate’s eligibility for new or enhanced United States Secret Service (USSS) protection in a timely, impartial, and transparent manner. The House version of the legislation was introduced by Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas-11).
Upon introduction, Sen. Cruz said, “In the last two months, there have been two assassination attempts on President Trump’s life. Officials have briefed President Trump’s campaign about Iranian assassination plots. Alejandro Mayorkas’s repeated failures to adequately enhance security for President Trump are inexcusable. Mayorkas also failed to provide Secret Service protection for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for months, despite creditable threats on Kennedy’s life. The Biden-Harris administration has politicized everything, from the DOJ to the Secret Service. I am proud to be working with Rep. Pfluger to hold the Biden-Harris administration accountable for these failures. All presidential candidates should receive fair and apolitical treatment by the Department of Homeland Security.”
Rep. Pfluger said, “In July, our country was mere millimeters away from a presidential assassination, and at least two attempts on President Trump’s life have been narrowly thwarted in the last three months. The Department of Homeland Security must ensure that all presidential candidates are given fair, apolitical, timely, and transparent consideration of USSS protection. We must provide adequate security for all presidential candidates—no matter their party affiliation.”
The full text of the bill is available here.
BACKGROUND:
The Counter SNIPER Act requires that when the Secretary of Homeland Security decides that a presidential candidate is not eligible for a requested protective detail or an increase in protective resources, the Secretary must provide a written notice to the candidate and the advisory committee within 14 days of the request. The Secretary’s notice must specify the criteria the candidate failed to meet. Once getting a notice of denial from the Secretary, a presidential candidate can submit a written request for reconsideration and provide additional facts and evidence to support the candidate’s request. The Secretary must then review the information and make a final written decision within 14 days.
Additionally, the Counter SNIPER Act provides additional accountability for the Director of the Secret Service by making nominees to the position subject to Senate confirmation.
