The Trump administration is reportedly seeking to delay a Democratic effort requiring the Secret Service to disclose its spending on the protection of President Trump and his family during their travels.
According to a Washington Post report Wednesday, people familiar with the discussions said that the administration would like to delay the Secret Service requirement until after the 2020 election. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and key senators have reportedly discussed the issue as they’ve negotiated draft legislation to transfer the Secret Service to his department.
People with knowledge of the talks told the Post that Mnuchin has been reluctant when it comes to Democrats’ demands that the bill mandates the Secret Service to disclose spending related to the President and his adult children’s travels within 120 days after the legislation passes. Although Mnuchin agreed to a requirement that the Secret Service report its travel expenses, he wants said disclosure to begin next year.
In a statement obtained by the Post, the Treasury Department said that Mnuchin has been in talks with Secret Service Director James Murray and congressional committees regarding legislation to transfer the Secret Service from the Department of Homeland Security to its historic home in the Treasury. However, the statement failed to address the dispute surrounding the reporting requirement.
“Conversations about the return of the Secret Service to the Treasury Department are ongoing, and we decline to comment on individual aspects of those conversations,” a Treasury official told the Post.
Read the Washington Post’s report here.
