Updated October 25, 2018
U.S. Secret Service Protection of Persons and Facilities
Overview
Improvement Act of 2011, which amended 18 U.S.C. 1752
Due to attempted bombings targeted at former President
and made it a crime for unauthorized person to enter a
Barack Obama, and former Secretary of State (and First
building secured by USSS.
Lady) Hillary Rodham Clinton, Congress may be interested
in U.S. Secret Service (USSS) protective detail operations.
Protected Individuals and Facilities
USSS conducts two mandated missions—criminal
The following individuals are currently authorized USSS
investigations and protection of persons and facilities.
protection under 18 U.S.C. Section 3056(a):
Criminal investigations focus primarily on financial crimes,
whereas protection focuses on the safety and security of
President, Vice President, President- and Vice
specific government officials. The criminal investigation
President- elect;
mission is the USSS’s oldest mission; however, the
protection mission is the one that receives the most public
immediate families of those listed above;
and media attention. The protection mission is the more
visible, and includes the protection of the President, Vice
former presidents, their spouses, and their children
President, their families, former presidents, and major
under the age of 16;
candidates for those offices, along with the White House
and Vice President’s residence. Protective activities of the
former Vice Presidents, their spouses, and their children
USSS also extend to foreign missions (embassies,
under the age 16;
consulates, residences, and other buildings used by foreign
governments) in the District of Columbia and to designated
visiting heads of foreign states or governments;
individuals, such as the Department of Homeland Security
Secretary and visiting dignitaries. Separate from protecting
distinguished foreign visitors and official United States
these specific mandated individuals, USSS is responsible
representatives on special missions abroad; and
for certain security activities such as National Special
Security Events, which include inauguration ceremonies,
major presidential and vice presidential candidates
major party quadrennial national conventions, as well as
within 120 days of the general presidential elections,
some international conferences and events held in the
and their spouses.
United States.
The USSS is also required to secure the White House
History of USSS Protection
complex, the Vice President’s residence at the Naval
In March 2003, USSS was transferred from the Department
Observatory, the Treasury Building, foreign diplomatic
of Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security
missions in Washington, DC, and temporarily, the personal
(DHS). With this transfer, DHS generally, and USSS
residences of the President and Vice President. The USSS’s
specifically became the federal department responsible for
Uniform Division primarily secures these facilities.
protecting significant and specified persons and property.
Prior to the enactment of the Homeland Security Act of
Specific Protection Activities
2002, the Treasury Department was responsible for this
As the pool of prospective protectees has evolved over
protection (through USSS) for over 100 years.
time, so has the manner in which they are protected.
Originally, USSS protection entailed agents being what
The Service has been protecting presidents from President
could be described as “body guards.” Now protection
Grover Cleveland in 1894 on a part-time basis to the
operations include not only the presence of agents in close
continual (24 hours a day) protection of President Donald
proximity to the protectee, but also advance security
Trump today. Over the years, the USSS protection mission
surveys of locations to be visited; coordination with
has been affected by unofficial decisions (such as President
foreign, state, and local law enforcement entities; and
Cleveland’s protection) and congressional mandates (such
intelligence analysis of present and future threats. The
as the protection of major presidential candidates). USSS
USSS protection mission comprises human resources,
protection activities have expanded with an increase in the
physical barriers, technology, and reviews of critical
number of protected individuals, while there has been only
infrastructure and their vulnerabilities. 18 U.S.C. 3056(e)-
one instance of a specified type of protectee being removed
(f) also authorize the USSS to conduct other activities such
from the authorized list of protectees.
as participating in the planning, coordination, and
implementation of security operations at special events of
Over the past century, USSS has been the focus of
national significance; and providing forensic and
congressional action that concentrated primarily on its
investigative assistance involving missing and exploited
protection mission. The most recently enacted legislation
children.
was the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds
https://crsreports.congress.gov
U.S. Secret Service Protection of Persons and Facilities
Threats to Protectees
conduct its security operations. The USSS informed CRS
Presidential safety is and has been a concern throughout the
that this requirement is not the first time a protectee has
nation’s history. For example, fears of kidnapping and
leased personal property to the USSS, but will neither
assassination threats towards Abraham Lincoln began with
confirm nor deny it leasing Trump Tower property. The
his journey to Washington, DC, for the 1861 inauguration.
USSS stated that the USSS has leased a structure at former
The number of attempted and successful assaults against
Vice President Joe Biden’s personal home in Delaware in
presidents legitimizes concern for presidential safety. Ten
order for the Service to conduct security operations there.
presidents have been victims of direct assaults by assassins,
The USSS has not confirmed if it is still leasing this
with four resulting in death (Presidents Abraham Lincoln,
property.
James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John F.
Kennedy). Since the USSS started officially protecting
There has been some question as to whether or not
Presidents in 1906, seven assaults have occurred, with one,
President Trump and his immediate family have traveled
President Kennedy, resulting in death. In 1917, Congress
more than other Presidents and their families. The cost,
enacted legislation (39 Stat. 919) that made it a crime to
however, of this travel is difficult to account for considering
threaten the President. The USSS does not provide
that the USSS is required only to provide annual budget
information on any threats to protectees or investigations
justification information on “Protection of Persons and
related to threats made against protectees. Specifically, the
Facilities” and does not provide specific amounts associated
extent to which presidents have been threatened or targeted
with individual presidential or immediate family travel.
remains a matter of conjecture.
When asked, the USSS informed CRS that the Service does
not provide specific amounts associated with presidential
Recent Protection Security Breaches
protection of any type due to this information being a
Recently, there have been a number of USSS protection
security concern.
breaches. These include such breaches as an intruder
climbing the White House fence and then attempting to
A final concern has been the perception and media reports
enter the White House, and the USSS losing a government
of President Trump using personal security guards. The
laptop that contained blueprints and security plans for
USSS informed CRS that President Trump has not had any
Trump Tower in New York City. These, coupled with a
personal security guards since becoming the President-Elect
number of security breaches during President Obama’s
in November 2016, nor since his inauguration in January
administrations, resulted in several congressional
2017.
committee hearings.
Table 1. Annual Appropriations for the U.S. Secret
USSS Protection Issues
Service “Protection,” FY2012-F2017
Due to congressional, media, and public attention on
(Amounts in Mil ions of Dol ars)
President Trump’s frequent travel, the First Family’s
decision to remain in New York City and not reside in the
Fiscal Year
Enacted
White House, and the President’s immediate family’s
frequent overseas travel, there has been increased scrutiny
2017
[$1,155] request
of the cost associated with USSS protection. Other potential
2016
$1,191
issues include Trump Tower leasing property to the USSS
so the Service may conduct its protection mission.
2015
$990
2014
$920
18 U.S.C 3056 is explicit as to for whom and where the
USSS is to conduct its protection. Regardless of the
2013
$985
location of the individuals identified in 18 U.S.C. 3056, the
USSS is required to provide full-time protection. In 1976,
2012
$1,052
Congress required the USSS to not only secure the White
Source: CRS analysis of congressional appropriations documents: for
House, but the personal residences of the President and
FY2011, H.Rept. 112-331 (accompanying P.L. 112-74); for FY2012,
Vice President. This may have been a result of former
H.Rept. 112-331 (accompanying P.L. 112-74); for FY2013, Senate
President Richard Nixon’s frequent travel to his home in
explanatory statement (accompanying P.L. 113-6); for FY2014, the
California and what he called the “Western White House.”
explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 113-76; for FY2015,
H.Rept. 113-481 (accompanying H.R. 4903); for FY2016, the
The location of the First Family is another issue. There is
explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 114-113; and for FY2017,
no law that requires the spouse or children of the President
S.Rept, 114-264 (accompanying S. 3001).
or Vice President to live in the White House or the Vice
Presidential residence at the U.S. Naval Conservatory. The
Shawn Reese, Analyst in Emergency Management and
First Family living in the White House is tradition only.
Homeland Security Policy
Additionally, there has been congressional interest in the
IF10646
USSS, reportedly, leasing property in Trump Tower to
https://crsreports.congress.gov
U.S. Secret Service Protection of Persons and Facilities
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10646 · VERSION 3 · UPDATED