Kelly to introduce legislation moving U.S. Secret Service from Homeland to Treasury
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, said he believes the July 13 assassination attempt on then-candidate President Donald Trump proves the U.S. Secret Service deserves a larger focus. He said he doesn’t see that happening under the Department of Homeland Security.
Kelly told the Butler Eagle earlier this month that he plans to introduce legislation to move the Secret Service from the Department of Homeland Security to its original position under the Office of the Treasury and increase its budget and workforce.
Kelly led a 13-member bipartisan House task force investigating the attempted assassination at the Butler Farm Show grounds in Connoquenessing Township. The 180-page final report determined that a cascading series of organizational failures gave the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, the opportunity to fire eight shots during the rally killing Butler County resident Corey Comperatore, seriously injuring two others and grazing Trump’s ear. Crooks was fatally shot by countersnipers.
As a direct response to the July 13 tragedy, the task force issued 37 recommendations, most for the U.S. Secret Service, some for the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service jointly, and others for Congress.
Kelly’s team is finalizing the bill’s language to reassign the Secret Service and intends to announce it within a few weeks, according to Matthew Knoedler, Kelly’s communications director.
“Homeland is a huge, huge group. It’s massive,” Kelly said. “I couldn’t believe when I saw what all they’re responsible for.”
The Department of Homeland Security includes 23 offices, two directorates and six individual positions like secretaries, advisers and coordinators.
The Department of the Treasury also has about 23 offices and eight individual positions.
The U.S. Secret Service is at the bottom of the Homeland Security’s organizational chart on the same level as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Coast Guard.
“We really believe that Secret Service needs to come out of Homeland Security and go back to being its own entity,” Kelly said.
Kelly said the Secret Service is underfunded and understaffed for its responsibilities. The Secret Service was allocated $3.2 billion for 2025 and employs about 8,300 people.
In addition to protecting the president and vice president, it protects their families, former presidents and their spouses and their children until they turn 16, ambassadors and foreign diplomats, foreign embassies in the United States and National Special Security Events identified by Homeland Security.
“They need to be more of an elite group,” Kelly said.
The Secret Service also manages cyber operations and criminal investigations surrounding computer and financial crimes against banks and businesses, and provides forensic services.
The Secret Service was established in 1865 under the U.S. Department of the Treasury to fight counterfeit currency. Nearly one-third of all currency in circulation after the Civil War was counterfeit, according to its website.
The service was assigned to presidential protection in 1901 after the assassination of President William McKinley and joined Homeland Security in 2003.
