President Trump and his large family, along with their multiple residences and frequent travel, have put such a strain on the Secret Service that the director fears many of his agents won’t get paid for the amount of hours they’ve put in this year.
Secret Service Director Randolph ‘Tex’ Alles spoke to USA Today about the over-stretched agency, warning that 1,000 of his agents – about one-third of the workforce – have already hit their federally-mandated salary caps in 2017.
‘We have them working all night long; we’re sending them on the road all the time,’ Alles told the paper. ‘There are no quick fixes, but over the long term, I’ve got to give them a better balance here.’
Under Trump, agents have 42 protectees, a new high, which include 18 members of Trump’s family, counting all of his children, who jet-set the world for both work and play.
‘The president has a large family, and our responsibility is required in law,’ Alles told the paper. ‘I can’t change that. I have no flexibility.’
Under President Trump, the Secret Service’s workforce is stretched, with 1,000 agents already hitting their federally-mandated salary caps for 2017, only seven months into the administration
President Trump’s frequent travel and large family – and their own frequent travel – has stretched the agency
The head of the Secret Service is trying to get Congress to push up the maximum salary, which accounts for overtime hours, but the agency warned that 130 veteran agents could still not get fully paid for their work this year
The Secret Service, seen here waiting for President Trump to exit Air Force One, is stretched because of President Trump’s large family, multiple properties and constant travel
Among those receiving Secret Service protection (left) are Ivanka Trump (center) and Jared Kushner (right), family members who serve as White House aides. Agents had to follow them on their vacations, including to Aspen, Colo., this year
Under President Obama, only 31 people were being protected.
Additionally, the president himself doesn’t stay put long, leaving the real White House frequently for either the ‘winter White House,’ Mar-a-Lago in Florida, the ‘summer White House,’ Bedminster in New Jersey, or the weekend White House, motorcading out to Sterling, Virginia to his Trump-branded property there, to play golf.
Since being sworn in, Trump had visited Mar-a-Lago seven times and Bedminster five times, with agents having the added complication of allowing members into these private clubs, while keeping the president and his family safe.
The president’s trips to Mar-a-Lago are estimated to cost around $3 million a pop, said USA Today, using an estimate from the General Accounting Office for similar travel by President Obama.
The Secret Service has spent $60,000 on golf cart rentals alone to keep the president safe at his two private clubs, the paper noted.
Then there’s the president’s sprawling family and their whereabouts.
Melania Trump, and Barron, both stayed at Trump Tower in New York City full-time until June of this year.
Trump Tower received around-the-clock Secret Service protection for most of this year, as the first lady and first son Barron Trump, lived in Manhattan full-time until June
Each trip the president takes to Mar-a-Lago cost around $3 million, according to Obama-era estimates from the General Accounting Office
The Secret Service has spent $60,000 on golf cart rentals at Bedminster (pictured) and Mar-a-Lago in an effort to keep the president and his family safe
On weekends when he’s in Washington, D.C., President Trump will motorcade out to his local golf club as well
Secret Service had to follow first daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, who also work as White House aides, on vacation, like their ski trip to Aspen.
President Trump’s two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, receive Secret Service protection too.
A detail has followed Eric Trump while he conducts Trump Organization business to destinations including Uruguay – where the Secret Service spent $100,000 just on hotel rooms – along with the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, Canada and the United Arab Emirates, all in 2017.
Tiffany Trump, the president’s younger daughter, had agents with her when she took vacations to Germany and Hungary with her boyfriend, Ross Mechanic, USA Today said.
Alles told the paper that he’s discussed the agency’s staffing limitations with the Trumps.
‘They understand,’ Alles said. ‘They accommodate to the degree they can and to the degree that it can be controlled. They have been supportive the whole times.’
At the same time, the Secret Service head has been talking to lawmakers on Capitol Hill to get the salary and overtime cap bumped up for his agents, who right now can only make $160,000 a year.
Even with Congressional approval, the agency said that about 130 agents wouldn’t be paid for a number of hours they worked this year.
Without Congress’ help, 1,100 agents wouldn’t be eligible for overtime pay.
‘I don’t see this changing in the near term,’ Alles told USA Today.
However, the agency is making moves to alleviate the strain.
The goal is to get 800 more agents working by 2019, with another 1,900 online by 2025.
‘We’re making progress,’ Alles, said.