Published: Sep 03, 2026. Publicly Released: Sep 03, 2026.
Fast Facts
The Secret Service protects the President, Vice President, visiting foreign dignitaries, and others. Recent attacks and threats against some of these people have highlighted the importance of the Secret Service.
We reviewed all Secret Service protection policies and found:
Secret Service personnel aren’t required to document their rationale when they determine incidents didn’t warrant a policy change
Policies aren’t reviewed and updated within required time frames
Joint security guidance with the State Department hasn’t been updated in over 30 years
Our recommendations address these issues to protect leaders from emerging threats.
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Highlights
What GAO Found
The Secret Service protects the President, Vice President, visiting foreign dignitaries, and others. From fiscal year 2015 through fiscal year 2025, the Secret Serviceâs budget increased while the number of its protectees fluctuated, particularly around changes in presidential administrations. During this time, there were 83 security incidents. The Secret Service updated its protection policies in response to 25 of them.
Secret Service Policy Changes in Response to Incidents, Fiscal Years 2015â2025
Secret Service policy does not require that personnel document their rationale when they determine an incident does not warrant a protection policy update. However, Secret Service officials told GAO that doing so would be important because it shows an incident was fully reviewed. In the absence of this information, it is sometimes unclear why the Secret Service maintained the status quo. For example, the Secret Service encountered drone incidents from 2015 to 2021, but did not update its policies to address civilian use of drones prior to July 2024, when a shooter used a drone in an assassination attempt of then-former President Trump. Revising its policy to require personnel to document the rationale for not making policy changes after incidents would provide the Secret Service with more complete information when considering protection policy updates to mitigate future threats.
Further, the Secret Service has not reviewed and updated protection policies in a timely manner. These policies are to be reviewed and updated within 4 years of issuance, but the Secret Service has not reviewed or updated eight of 22 protection policies within the required time frame. Secret Service officials said they try to make timely updates but are not always able to identify personnel available to do so. Revising its policy to assign responsibility to specific positions for updating protection policies within required time frames could help the Secret Service incorporate the most current techniques into advance planning.
Finally, since 1991, the Secret Service and Diplomatic Security Service, the protective division within the Department of State, have not updated a key memorandum of understanding that delineates the two entitiesâ roles and responsibilities for securing the President and others traveling abroad, and foreign dignitaries traveling to the United States. Much has changed over the intervening years, such as the emergence of drone threats, and updating the memorandum would provide the two entities an opportunity to respond to evolving roles, responsibilities, and advance techniques.
Why GAO Did This Study
Recent attacks and threats of violence against Secret Service protectees highlight the importance of the Secret Serviceâs protective mission. These incidents include the July 2024 assassination attempt of then-former President Trump, the alleged assassination attempt of President Trump at the April 2026 White House Correspondentsâ Dinner, and the shooting near Vice President Vanceâs motorcade in May 2026.
GAO was asked to examine the Secret Serviceâs protection policies. This report addresses, among other things, (1) how the Secret Service protection budget and number of protectees changed from fiscal year 2015 through fiscal year 2025; and (2) the extent to which the Secret Service has updated its protection policies.
GAO analyzed data and reviewed documentation related to protection policies for the Secret Service and Diplomatic Security Service from fiscal year 2015 through fiscal year 2025. GAO also conducted interviews with officials from the Secret Service and Diplomatic Security Service, as well as eight other selected federal, state, and local entities with protection responsibilities.
Recommendations
GAO is making four recommendations, including two to revise current Secret Service policies to (1) require that personnel document why protection policy updates are not needed after incidents, and (2) assign responsibility for policy updates, and one each to the Secret Service and the Department of State to update their memorandum of understanding. The Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Secret Service, and the Department of State concurred with the recommendations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| United States Secret Service | The Director of the U.S. Secret Service should revise its policy on security incident reporting to require its personnel to document their rationale in the standard form when they decide a security incident (i.e., unusual protective event) does not warrant a protection policy change. (Recommendation 1) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| United States Secret Service | The Director of the U.S. Secret Service should revise its policy on issuing, maintaining, and organizing protection processes to assign responsibility to specific positions within the relevant offices for consistently reviewing and updating protection policies within required time frames. (Recommendation 2) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| United States Secret Service | The Director of the U.S. Secret Service, in collaboration with the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, should review and update the 1991 memorandum of understanding that delineates separate and joint roles and responsibilities for securing the President and other full-time protectees traveling abroad, and foreign dignitaries traveling to the U.S. (Recommendation 3) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of State | The Secretary of State should direct the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, in collaboration with the Director of the U.S. Secret Service, to review and update the 1991 memorandum of understanding that delineates separate and joint roles and responsibilities for securing the President and other full-time protectees traveling abroad, and foreign dignitaries traveling to the U.S. (Recommendation 4) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
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