Secret Service overpaid campaigns nearly $4 million for charter flights, report says

Kevin Johnson | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – The Secret Service overpaid presidential committees nearly $4 million for air travel on charter flights during the 2016 campaign, the federal government's watchdog agency found Thursday.

A report by the Government Accountability Office determined that the service did not consistently adhere to a long-standing policy to pay the cheapest rate of two charter options when traveling with candidates and other protectees during the busy campaign season.

According to the policy, the agency pays either the lowest commercially available first-class fare or the cost of a charter flight divided by the passenger number, whichever is cheapest. Eight months before the end of the campaign, the agency determined that it was not abiding by the policy yet did not correct its action.

During that time, according to the GAO report, 66% of the campaign flights with agents aboard were taken. The agency reimburses the campaign committees for agent seats on each flight.

In all, travel expenses for the agency during the 2016 campaign totaled $58 million to support 3,236 stops. Of that, $17.1 million was reimbursed to the four campaign committees for charter flights.

Agency reimbursements to the leading campaigns were nearly identical — with $7.3 million paid to the Trump campaign, and $7.1 million to the Clinton campaign.

In its written response to the GAO, the Department of Homeland Security — which oversees Secret Service operations — said letters already have been drafted to the committees requesting reimbursement for the overpaid amounts.

"The Secret Service is incredibly proud of how we operated during the 2016 campaign, and like any high performance operation we are committed to continual improvement," the agency said in a statement Thursday. "After the issues highlighted in the report were brought to our attention, the Secret Service took immediate action to address them. As of the publishing of this report, the Secret Service has completed required corrective actions to ensure miscalculations are not repeated.



"We are confident the American people understand that protecting our elected officials and those running for the highest offices of our nation is a costly endeavor; and with that responsibility, the Secret Service is steadfastly committed to effective stewardship of American tax dollars."

The report was requested by Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the overpayments were "unacceptable."

"Proper stewardship of Secret Service travel expenses is critical as they are paid by the American taxpayer — not the campaigns," Thompson said.

The costs associated with Secret Service operations have been closely scrutinized in the past two years as a crushing workload prompted Congress to take action.

President Trump signed legislation this year effectively raising pay caps that forced more than 1,000 Secret Service agents to forego payment last year for hundreds of hours in overtime necessary to carry out the agency's expanded protective mission.

The action raised the combined annual salary and overtime limits from $164,200 to $187,000, covering unpaid overtime accrued last year. In 2018, the cap increases to $189,000.

Congress intervened last summer when USA TODAY reported that about 1,200 agents and officers had already hit the mandated pay caps that were meant to last the entire year.