GOP lawmakers wrestle over Secret Service emergency funding in government shutdown battle

Republicans in the House of Representatives are toying with the idea of ​​attaching additional funding for the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) to a short-term spending plan designed to prevent a partial government shutdown on October 1.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson is preparing to hold a vote Wednesday evening on his plan to avert a shutdown. It is a so-called Continuing Resolution (CR), a six-month spending package coupled with a measure requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration.

Given significant Republican opposition to any form of CR and Democratic opposition to the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, the effort is likely to fail.

Several Republicans in the House of Representatives indicated in a conversation with Fox News Digital on Wednesday that they are preparing for a CR without conservative policies that would only last until December – this is the position of the Democratic Senate majority.

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Several Republican lawmakers who spoke to Fox News Digital also said that providing additional funding to the USSS could also find widespread support, especially after the recent assassination attempts on former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.

Republican Rep. John Duarte of California, one of the most vulnerable House Democrats in November's election, told Fox News Digital he would support such a move if Wednesday's vote fails.

“We've seen two attempts on the president in the last month or two, and we know how devastating those assassinations could be for the country. So if the situation escalates to the point where we need to provide more money to the Secret Service, it's important for our democracy that we do that,” Duarte said.

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When asked if a “clean” CR in December was inevitable without conservative policies, a senior House Republican told Fox News Digital, “I mean, if you look at it, that's the story.”

The Republican added that it was “highly likely” that the failure of Wednesday's vote “given everything that has happened” would lead to discussions about additional USSS funding in an emergency plan.

The House of Representatives will vote on Wednesday on House Speaker Mike Johnson's plan to avert a government shutdown. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Another senior Republican lawmaker in the House said there was “interest in doing so,” but noted that there were logistical questions, such as whether additional funding for the USSS before the election could make a difference.

“The problem with that is, how do you recruit staff that quickly when you have the funding?” the senior MP said. “It's definitely something we're working on enough to mention, but I haven't been to any strategy meetings about it.”

“I think most of us are clear that the Senate is obviously not going to pass our package. So they're going to give it back to us with a three-month CR,” said another House Republican. “If we don't pass it, I don't know what the other options are.”

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The second GOP lawmaker claimed that there is a healthy interest among House Republicans in adding more USSS funds to a short-term spending bill.

“We've spent all that time in the House passing appropriations bills that we know aren't going to pass in the Senate – an incredible amount of time in the House. And that's exactly what's going to end up happening,” a third House Republican said of a CR without the SAVE Act.

Other GOP lawmakers, however, stressed that Congress should not consider requests to couple a CR with USSS emergency funds in this case.

“I'm less worried about the budget than I am about leadership,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital.

U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. testified at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol on July 30, 2024, about the security failures that led to the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Trump. (Chip Somodevilla)

House Budget Committee member Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) said, “The Secret Service has a priorities problem. I don't think it has a funding problem.”

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida also said the USSS's problems were more “organizational” than financial.

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“Some of these things are just common sense. Why didn't the White House just say, 'You know what? Donald Trump is a former president who is now running for president. You can't treat him like any other presidential candidate,'” Donalds said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Johnson's office for comment.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives will also vote on a bipartisan bill on Friday that would give Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris the same Secret Service protection as President Biden.