The Secret Service will begin providing two tailored suits to newly trained agents assigned to protective details, a change that officials and people familiar with the decision framed as an effort to reduce out-of-pocket costs for new agents and potentially aid recruiting.
The move comes as the Department of Homeland Security operates under a partial shutdown.
The plan calls for each new graduate of protective detail training to receive two navy-blue tailored suits, with name embroidery inside the jacket, under a proposed five-year contract the agency published last week.
People familiar with the move said the initiative began after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem disliked how a protective detail was dressed in suits that agents bought for themselves.
Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, disputed that account, saying the change "does not have to do with optics" and instead aims to address inequities for the "men and women who are just starting their career," CNN reported.
McLaughlin said the Secret Service supplies clothing to its uniformed division, including protective vests and dark police-style clothing, but agents assigned to protective details must buy their own suits.
One person familiar with the decision said DHS leadership also viewed agency-provided suits as a potential recruiting incentive by easing what can be a financial burden. Another person familiar with the matter said the Secret Service had to find funding for the suits within its current budget.
A former senior law enforcement official said the agency has not previously provided free suits to plainclothes agents and that agents historically could not seek reimbursement for suits.
Some veterans have expressed surprise at the spending.
"With all the resource challenges the Secret Service has, this seems like an odd expenditure," said CNN contributor Jon Wackrow, a former Secret Service agent.
A Secret Service official said agents typically earn between $70,000 and $90,000 per year, including benefits.
A federal contracting notice posted on sam.gov on Feb. 11 describes the requirement as tailored dress suits to support training at the James J. Rowley Training Center and calls for two navy-blue suits per student and name embroidery on the inside of the jacket.
The proposal arrives as DHS remains in a partial shutdown tied to negotiations over immigration enforcement policy and funding.
DHS has said many employees continue working during a lapse in appropriations, and The Associated Press has reported that the shutdown began Feb. 14 and has required many DHS workers to remain on the job without pay.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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