bill Progress
- Not enactedThe President has not signed this bill
- The senate has not voted
- The house has not voted
- house Committees
House Committee on Oversight and Government ReformIntroducedSeptember 25th, 2018
Upcoming Bills
GovernmentWhat is it?
This bill would extend the Secret Service overtime pay exception through 2020, waiving the premium pay cap for Secret Service employees for the 2019 and 2020 calendar years. This means Secret Service employees would be able to make up to Level 2 of the Executive Schedule in total pay, instead of the $160,000 mandated by the premium pay cap. In 2017, the raised pay cap was $187,000 for the years 2017 and 2018.
Impact
Secret Service; Secret Service protectees; and the federal budget.
Cost
$17.00 Million
The CBO estimates that implementing this bill would cost $17 million over the fiscal years 2019-2021.
More Information
In-Depth: Rep. Steve Russell (R-OK) introduced this bill to serve as a stopgap measure while the Secret Service staffs up to address its current staff shortfall:
“Ultimately, these efforts [to hire more Secret Service agents] will make extensions [of the pay cap waiver] unnecessary, but not for now. As the Secret Service continues to staff up, a one-year extension through calendar year 2019 ensures that the Secret Service will retain more experienced agents, and it will give the committee time to receive a Government Accountability Office report on human capital progress, as well as other reports.”
In an NPR interview, Kevin Johnson, the USA Today reporter who broke the story of Secret Service agents hitting their federal salary caps in August 2017, explained why the Trump administration has strained the Secret Service:
“[T]he previous administration had a number of protectees that was 30, 31. This administration has seen a significant increase up to 42. Including in that number are 18 members of the Trump family. And it's not only protecting them here at home in their offices in the U.S., but these are adult children who travel. And two of them manage a fairly large company that a lot of people know about. And so they are traveling a lot overseas, and the Secret Service goes with them.”
Lawrence J. Kotlikoff, an economist at Boston University and president of Economic Security Planning, Inc, argues that President Trump himself, rather than taxpayers, should shoulder the additional costs beyond historical norms that his above-normal travel is costing the Secret Service:
“No one, to my knowledge, has put together a formal estimate of the extra federal, state, and local security costs of this president. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it totaled a quarter billion dollars per year. That’s enough money to properly feed our 13 million children who are living in hunger every day. To resolve this problem, Congress should pass a bill in September that entails dollar-for-dollar cost-sharing once the president’s security budget exceeds the annual amount dictated by historical norms. This is not only a question of costs. The president and his family are clearly mixing the nation’s business with their own. Whether this rises to the level of corrupt practices is something for investigative bodies to decide. If Congress authorizes an increase in the Secret Service’s budget without considering the Trump family’s clear conflict of interest, it will, potentially, be aiding and abetting corrupt practices and, potentially, be breaking the law. For example, Trump’s decision to charge the Secret Service $60,000 for the use of Mar-a-Lago golf carts over the past nine months is a direct transfer of money from the public to the Trumps’ pockets.”
This bill passed the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on a voice vote with the support of three cosponsors, including two Democrats and one Republican.
Of Note: The Secret Service has recently struggled with poor recruitment and retention, in part because more of its employees are running into the overtime pay cap. These problems have been exacerbated during the Trump administration, due to news of misconduct and the president’s frequent travel and large family. According to Rep. Russell, almost 1,000 employees — one-third of the agency's workforce — would have hit the overtime pay cap by July 2018 if not for the agency’s waiver for 2018.
Congress also overrode overtime limits for the Secret Service in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, over 1,000 agents maxed out their pay caps in October after months of major campaign events for the candidates and their families. In 2017, the Trump administration’s size, plus President Trump’s frequent travels, stretched the Secret Service’s budget and caused over 1,000 agents to hit their overtime caps in August — two months earlier than the previous year.
The Secret Service has begun efforts to address its recruitment and retention problems. It’s projected to grow by 350 employees in 2018, and attrition is expected to decline by 7.5 percent.
Media:
Summary by Lorelei Yang
(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / 400tmax)
AKA
Secret Service Overtime Pay Extension Act
Official Title
To amend the Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2016 to extend the Secret Service overtime pay exception through 2019, and for other purposes.
Let #45 pay all over-time for all his active businesses across the globe, for his privileged family’s excesses as well instead of asking those of us who won’t see in a lifetime what he sees in a year, so he says, to pay for his excesses and the excessI’ve use of the Secret Service. If we had a t real president and not a corrupt don, it would be different.
Trump should pay out of pocket for the extra security detail for himself and his family given their excessive travel expenses. The federal government should not shoulder the burden when this disgrace of a President decides to use his position to enrich himself and his family.
Just about everyone works hard at their jobs and don’t make anywhere near what these guys are making already. Maybe Trump should stay at the WH more.
The Secret Service needs to be paid for their time. What they don’t need is to be gouged by the President and his business organization. Those of his family who do not work for the government, or live in the White House have little reason for taxpayer funded security. If they need Secret Service protection then Trump can pay for it out of his own pocket.
My vote will change to Yes if Trump pays for the overtime caused by his travel. Otherwise, if this will prevent him from his golf trips by forcing him to stay within budget, then let this be the limiting factor
Trump’s CHOICE to use his own businesses for his golf outings etc rather than use government establishments shouldn’t be subsidized by taxpayers. Let him pay for his own protection when he goes golfing in New Jersey or Florida.
H.R. 6893 AKA Secret Service Overtime Pay Exception
As a preface to my comments here, I just want it to be clear that the Secret Service expenditures are NOT solely tired to President Trump, as the same commentators who constantly preface their hatred derogatory comments, towards our President.
I’m in strong agreement with and recommend passage of the bill (H.R. 6893)which would extend the Secret Service overtime pay exception through 2020, waiving the premium pay cap for Secret Service employees for the 2019 and 2020 calendar years. This means Secret Service employees would be able to make up to Level 2 of the Executive Schedule in total pay, instead of the $160,000 mandated by the premium pay cap. In 2017, the raised pay cap was $187,000 for the years 2017 and 2018.
It well apparent that we’ve seen many of the Leftist commentators here that don’t have the foggiest idea what the Secret Service responsibilities are that they perform beyond the multitude of security duties they do.
The Skills developed, during the course of assigned investigations, which are also used in an agent’s protective duties include, but are not limited, to:
* Proficiency in analyzing handwriting and forgery techniques being applied in protective investigations of handwritten letters and suspicious package threats.
* Expertise in investigating electronic and financial crimes being applied in protective investigations of threats made against the nation's leaders on the Internet.
* Tactical operation (i.e. surveillance, arrests, and search warrants) and law enforcement writing (i.e. affidavits, after action reports, and operations plans) skills being applied to both investigative and protective duties.
* Partnerships that are created between field offices and local law enforcement during the course of investigations being used to gather both protective intelligence and in coordinating protection events.
Secret Service agents should be paid for their overtime work. Without this bill, that won’t be possible. If Secret Service agents aren’t paid for their overtime work, it’ll also worsen the Service’s existing recruitment and retention problems.
SEE: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secret_Service
SneakyPete..... 12*9*18.....
Tell trump to stop golfing.
Just because Butthead and his greedy family need so much protection, doesn’t mean the Secret Service should be screwed out of overtime pay. We need to address this issue ‘cause I’ll be damned if my taxes will pay for his slop for the rest of their lives! Their abuse cannot be ignored!
James, your ignorance is unmeasurable!
Everything you post is crap!
Wizrwitage, you must be getting your info from Fox News. P.S. (They are not REAL news...). Turd has exceeded Obama by leaps and bounds! How can you people be so ignorant?
There should be a cap on how much protection they are afforded, especially children, spouses, etc. Anything over, they pay themselves. We never had a problem ‘til Piggy got elected! Now we have a whole slew of piggies... it’s disgusting!
Yes but only because the expense is for the agents and only until Trump is impeached. As I read the proposal, most of the billions in excess of the norm for protection is because his corrupt family members are traveling throughout the world enriching themselves and the family businesses. When Trump is impeached I hope protection for his family will cease. Surely taxpayers will not be required to pay for this abuse for the remainder of Trump’s adult family’s lives.
We should have the military do this kind of work instead of risking their lives in other countries for special interests and get paid accordingly. The secret service does a job much less dangerous than our service men and women and get paid ridiculous high wages while vets can’t even afford rent or to buy a home. Secret service is an shameful waste of money.
A secret service agent should be paid what a prison guard makes. Guarding criminals is guarding criminals.
Why?? Why don’t 45 stay at the WH like he said he would rather than flying the friendly skies of the US Taxpayer!!
They should be paid for overtime, but since the overtime is being caused by Trump's travel to his own businesses, security for those trips should be paid for by Trump, not the taxpayer.
He donates his entire pay as president. Obama traveled a lot as well. Liberal socialist have made this a need not a want.
Secret Service covering past presidents and their families should be evaluated. Since the Bush family, the Clintons and Obama families are rich enough to own more than one home and make enormous speaking fees, they can afford to pay for their own protection. I have read that the Trump family is currently paying for at least some of their protection already.
I’m tired of extra time paid fir campaign trips.
Something we can (or should) all agree on. Waive the pay caps for our Secret Service personnel. PS: Anyone who disagrees is a low life sack of excrement. Your mileage may vary.
The Secret Service performs a very important role over and beyond protecting the president! I see some very stupid and irresponsible posts concerning this as Obama traveled with an entourage of over 3,000 security and staff personnel on your taxpayer money as Triumph travels with less! So next time you open your trap Older N Wiser be sure that you know what you are talking about! She must be a retired school teacher no doubt!