Senate passes bill boosting security for presidential nominees

Just weeks after a second attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the Senate cleared legislation boosting Secret Service protections for major presidential party nominees.

“This bill will now go to President [Joe] Biden’s desk, and I hope he acts quickly to sign it into law,” said Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), as he secured its unanimous passage on the floor.

The move, which comes days after the bill also cleared the House unanimously, sends the measure to Biden for his signature. It would apply to all major nominees going forward, not just Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I don’t think it does anything meaningful to change how the Secret Service does its job,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), calling for a “more holistic” discussion about security for political figures and efforts to address access to weapons.

He also urged Republicans to support additional resources for the Secret Service through the short-term government funding patch, but did not ultimately object to the bill’s passage.