January 1, Secret Service Sniper Crisis Deepens Security Fears

Wyatt’s Take

• The Secret Service’s elite counter-sniper team is down to a fraction of needed staff.
• Overtime and unqualified agents are being used to cover critical White House security gaps.
• The risk to America’s leaders is higher than ever according to an official government report.

America’s top security team has a real problem, revealed in a blunt new government review. The Secret Service’s counter-sniper squad is running with less than a third of the marksmen it really needs to guard the president and vice president.

To fill the holes, the agency is forcing fewer agents to pull long overtime shifts and borrowing shooters from other federal offices. The inspector general found some weren’t fully trained, but still got called to protect events with the president in 2024.

“The United States Secret Service’s (Secret Service) Counter-Sniper Team (CS) is staffed 73 percent below the level necessary to meet mission requirements,” the report stated.

It warned that these massive shortages put the president and vice president at risk, especially after the attempt on President Trump’s life at a Pennsylvania rally in July 2024.

From 2021 to 2024, Secret Service paid out nearly a quarter-million overtime hours just to keep the sniper detail working.

The report found some of these marksmen hadn’t kept up with their weapons qualifications but were still placed on duty during high-risk events in 2024, including the campaign and inauguration.

“Some counter snipers did not meet mandatory weapons requalification requirements,” investigators stated.

After these findings, Secret Service leaders agreed change is urgent and promised to fix the shortfall fast.

Everyday Americans deserve leaders who are safe—this warning shot about weak security proves it’s time for common sense solutions and accountability from those in charge.

Wyatt Matters

Security should never be half-done. Our families know what happens when corners get cut and jobs go unfilled—things fall through the cracks. The nation’s protection shouldn’t be understaffed, just like no small town fire squad should run short. Our way of life relies on strong, steady hands guarding the future, not risky shortcuts that put all we value on the line.

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