The Senate has unanimously passed a bill ensuring that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris receive the same level of Secret Service protection as a sitting president, CNN reports.
The legislation, brought to the floor by Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida, comes after two apparent assassination attempts on Trump, the first on July 13 at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and the second on September 15th at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida.
The bill, which now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature, follows a similar unanimous vote by the House of Representatives on September 14.
“Passing the act today with unanimous consent of the Senate sends an important message to the American public and the world that we will not ignore these threats,” Scott said in a statement. “These threats, which are truly an attack on our Democratic process, have rightly shocked the world.”
While supporting the legislation, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut acknowledged that he doesn’t believe it will solve the problem of rising political violence.
“Let’s move ahead with this bill,” Murphy said. “I don’t think it actually solves the problem; let’s pass the additional money so that they have everything they need, the Secret Service, in order to get the job done, and then let’s sit down and have a broader conversation about why we have seen this spike in political violence, and what other ways Republicans and Democrats can come together.”
The Secret Service has come under increasing scrutiny in Congress following the assassination attempts on Trump. Acting director of the US Secret Service, Ronald Rowe Jr., confirmed at a briefing after the September incident that the agency increased security for Trump following the first attempt in July.
“In the days that followed, President Biden made it clear that he wanted the highest levels of protection for former President Trump and for Vice President Harris,” Rowe stated at the briefing. “These measures have been implemented.”
Congress is currently considering additional funding for the Secret Service as part of broader government funding negotiations ahead of a September 30 deadline. An additional $231 million for the Secret Service is included in a continuing resolution that the House could vote on as early as Wednesday.
