WASHINGTON ¨C The U.S. Secret Service will not be able to pay an estimated 1,100 employees for required overtime work after September due to government-imposed pay caps, the agency¡¯s chief said on Monday.
In a statement, Secret Service Director Randolph ¡°Tex¡± Alles attributed the funding shortfall to the cost of protecting President Donald Trump and his family, and ¡°an overall increase in operational tempo.¡±
The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In an interview with USA Today, which first reported the story, Alles noted that the Secret Service¡¯s mission was set by law and that he did not have authority to curtail it.
¡°The president has a large family, and our responsibility is required in law,¡± Alles told the newspaper. ¡°I can¡¯t change that. I have no flexibility.¡±
The agency must protect a record 42 people, including 18 Trump family members, up from a total of 31 during the administration of former President Barack Obama, he told USA Today.
The problem did not start with the current president¡¯s tenure, ¡°but rather has been an ongoing issue for nearly a decade,¡± Alles said in the statement.
Alles has asked lawmakers to raise the combined salary and overtime cap for agents from $160,000 a year to $187,000 for at least the period of Trump¡¯s first term, USA Today reported.
But even if such a proposal was approved, about 130 veteran agents would not be fully compensated for hundreds of hours already amassed, the newspaper said, citing the agency.
The White House said in a statement that the Trump administration would work with Congress on the issue.
¡°The president is committed to ensuring the Secret Service and all of those protecting our country have all the resources they need,¡± it said.
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