Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto have reintroduced the bipartisan Providing Real Oversight and Transparency to Effectively Counter Threats (PROTECT) Act. The proposed legislation would require that future directors of the United States Secret Service be confirmed by the Senate and serve a single, 10-year term.
Grassley emphasized the importance of oversight for the agency, referencing an incident in Butler last year. "The Secret Service Director is responsible for a critical agency where life and death are at stake. This agency and its leadership require serious congressional oversight to ensure they’re held to a very high standard, so that the failure we saw in Butler last year is never repeated," Grassley said. "Our bipartisan PROTECT Act is a crucial step towards providing the American people the transparency and accountability they deserve from the Secret Service."
Cortez Masto also spoke about supporting Secret Service personnel through increased oversight. "The men and women of the Secret Service have an incredible responsibility, and we must support them and their work. Our bipartisan PROTECT Act will make the Secret Service Director a Senate-confirmed position with a ten-year term, ensuring the same level of oversight as other federal law enforcement agencies while protecting against politicization," she said.
The proposal comes after an assailant opened fire on President Donald Trump during a campaign rally on July 13, 2025. Despite security measures by the USSS, Trump was injured, one attendee was killed, and two others were seriously hurt.
Currently, leaders of several other federal law enforcement agencies—including the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, ATF, ICE, and CBP—are subject to Senate confirmation.
