The Secret Service director said that President Donald Trump is not the agency's only problem and its current challenges have been brewing for more than a decade without proper redress, NBC News reported Monday.
The comments from Randolph "Tex" Alles come after he was quoted in a USA Today story saying Trump's large family and the number of people who need to be protected in his administration have put a strain on the Secret Service's resources.
Alles told NBC News that paying overtime money for about 1,100 agents this year cannot be "attributed to the current administration's protection requirements alone, but rather has been an ongoing issue for nearly a decade due to an overall increase in operational tempo."
Secret Service funding woes cropped up during the 2016 presidential campaign when the Republican and Democratic parties fielding multi-candidate races, noted NBC News. The Republican presidential candidates started off in double-digits.
"Our agency experienced a similar situation in calendar year 2016 that resulted in legislation that allowed Secret Service employees to exceed statutory caps on pay," Alles said, stating that Congress needs to step in to address the woes, noted the broadcaster.
But the agency acknowledged that protecting Trump has proven to be an extra challenge. The Trump administration has 42 people under protection, including 18 family members, wrote USA Today. In contrast, the Obama administration had 31 people under protection.
While the agency recently went through a hiring blitz of 800 agents and uniformed officers this past year, many also left the Secret Service, leaving the agency with a net gain of 300, USA Today reported.
Amanda Gonzalez, spokeswoman for U.S. House Oversight Panel Chairman Trey Gowdy said the group is "working with other committees of jurisdiction to explore ways in which we can best support'' the Secret Service, the newspaper stated.
CNN reported in June that the Secret Service had eased its drug policy for potential hires as it attempted to hire more than 3,000 new employees.
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