Remember when Mr. Trump constantly criticized Obama for his “many unnecessary trips that cost millions in tax payer’s money”? The Trump family has long depleted the Secret Service Funds. It was around August this year where rumors started circulating that the Trump family had depleted the Secret Service protection fund. As of now, it can certainly be confirmed.
At the time, it was said that more than a thousand agents had hit the mandated caps for salary and allowances. The funding for this was supposed to last them a year. At the time when the rumors started, it had only been 8 months since Trump was inaugurated. The news that our Secret Service has run out of money to pay its agents is completely unprecedented and completely baffling.
As the president of our country, Trump is a symbol. This is why his safety is paramount. What is to happen now that they can no longer afford to pay the very people who are tasked to protect him? What does it say about us a country that our elected leader appears to be uncaring about how much he’s costing us? How much more do we stand before we say enough is enough?
The incredible secret service agents were met with a crippling workload in terms of logistics. Trump, since the start of his presidency, has travelled consistently to one of his many properties. His adult children and their families, who are also under the protection of the Secret Service, constantly have business and vacation trips abroad. Unlike the Obamas, the Trumps have added a significant amount more people to protect.
Instead of saving tax payer’s money like he had promised, Trump has effectively blown through the budget that was supposed to last him for 12 months. And yes, even his family was factored into the initial cost and budget allotment. Every single time that Trump visits Mar-a-Lago, it costs an estimated $3 million each time. The other trips he’s taken, along with the necessary planning it takes to secure his safety, is no easy task.
Our hardworking agents now face the very real threat of not being compensated for work that they had already rendered. The entire concept is ridiculous. Something definitely needs to budge.
Here’s a hint: it shouldn’t be the tax payers. Mr. Trump needs to have a reality check and our hardworking agents need to be suitably compensated.
