The Secret Service is going broke trying to protect President Donald Trump and his family, according to an exclusive report by USA Today. After Trump released his first budget outline, mainstream media outlets seized the opportunity to attack the president by reporting on the exorbitant cost of protecting First Lady Melania Trump, and son Barron Trump, who had remained behind at the Trumps’ suite in Trump Tower after the president moved to the White House so Barron could finish the school year.
In an interview with USA Today, Secret Service Director Randolph “Tex” Alles said more than 1,000 agents have already hit the federally mandated caps for salary and overtime allowances that were meant to last the entire year.
Randolph “Tex” Alles
Here’s USA Today with more:
“The agency has faced a crushing workload since the height of the contentious election season, and it has not relented in the first seven months of the administration. “The president has a large family, and our responsibility is required in law,” Alles said. “I can’t change that. I have no flexibility.”
According to USA Today, 42 people have secret service protection under Trump, a number that includes 18 members of his family. That’s up from 31 during the Obama administration.
The Secret Service said Monday it has enough money to protect President Trump through September, even as the agency acknowledged it’s running up against its spending limit for agents protecting the president and his family.
Since Trump took office, the Secret Service has spent more than $6.6 million to protect Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and each weekend trip there costs an additional $1 million. To cover these costs, the agency has asked Congress to increase its $60 million budget, and allow it to exceed overtime caps for certain employees.
However, in a statement published in response to the USA Today report, the agency assured its employees, and the public, that it will be able to fully compensate employees for overtime, according to the Hill.
“The Secret Service has the funding it needs to meet all current mission requirements for the remainder of the fiscal year and compensate employees for overtime within statutory pay caps,” agency director Randolph “Tex” Alles said in a statement.”
The current fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
This article appeared at ZeroHedge.com at: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-21/secret-service-reportedly-going-broke-protecting-trump-family