A shocking staffing crisis in the U.S. Secret Service’s counter-sniper teams puts America’s leaders at grave risk.
A Homeland Security watchdog report reveals the Secret Service’s counter-sniper teams are dangerously understaffed, relying on overtime and borrowed personnel to protect the nation’s top officials, as Just the News reports. The crisis came into sharp focus after an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in July 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. This isn’t just bureaucratic failure -- it’s a national security gamble.
The report, released by Inspector General Joseph Cufari in recent days, paints a grim picture of a force stretched to its limits. Counter-sniper teams are staffed at just 27% of what’s needed to meet mission demands. Progressive policies prioritizing optics over competence have left our protectors scrambling.
“The United States Secret Service’s Counter-Sniper Team is staffed 73 percent below the level necessary to meet mission requirements,” Cufari’s report declares. That’s not a statistic; it’s a scream for help from an agency tasked with safeguarding America’s leaders. Yet, the left’s obsession with slashing budgets and pushing DEI quotas has gutted critical operations.
Between 2021 and 2024, the Secret Service racked up nearly a quarter million overtime hours just to keep counter-sniper teams functional. Agents are burning out while bureaucrats pat themselves on the back for “efficiency.” This isn’t sustainable -- it’s a recipe for disaster.
The July 2024 assassination attempt on Trump exposed the cracks in the system. A sniper team, already stretched thin, failed to prevent a near-tragedy in Pennsylvania. Woke leadership’s neglect of core security functions left the former president vulnerable.
To plug the gaps, the Secret Service borrowed marksmen from other Department of Homeland Security units during Trump’s inauguration in January. Some of these stand-ins didn’t even meet the full criteria for the protection detail. Competence takes a backseat when desperation drives decisions.
“Given its chronic understaffing, CS relied on overtime and leveraged personnel from other Department of Homeland Security components to meet mission requirements,” Cufari noted. Borrowing bodies from other agencies is a Band-Aid on a broken system. It’s what happens when ideology trumps readiness.
Worse, some counter snipers skipped mandatory weapons requalification sessions. In 2024, these underqualified agents covered 47 out of 426 protectee events -- 11% of the total. That’s 47 times America’s leaders were left exposed by a system prioritizing paperwork over proficiency.
“Some counter snipers did not meet mandatory weapons requalification requirements,” Cufari’s report starkly states. This isn’t a minor oversight; it’s a betrayal of the trust placed in the Secret Service. Yet, the progressive push for “equity” over excellence lets these lapses slide.
The Trump-run Secret Service, responding to the report, admitted the problem and vowed to fix it fast. They’re right to act -- America can’t afford another close call. But why did it take a near-assassination to wake up the brass?
The reliance on overtime and underqualified personnel isn’t just a staffing issue; it’s a symptom of a deeper rot. Decades of prioritizing feelings over function have eroded the agency’s ability to protect. The left’s disdain for meritocracy has real-world consequences.
“Failure to appropriately staff CS could limit the Secret Service’s ability to properly protect our Nation’s most senior leaders, risking injury or assassination,” Cufari warned. His words should haunt every American who values stability. A nation’s safety hinges on reversing this decline.
The Secret Service’s scramble to borrow personnel and rack up overtime is a desperate stopgap, not a solution. Fixing this requires hiring qualified snipers, enforcing rigorous training, and rejecting the woke agenda that’s weakened our defenses. Anything less is playing roulette with America’s future.
Cufari’s report is a wake-up call, but will it be heeded? The Trump administration’s promise to address the shortage is a start, but they’re fighting an entrenched bureaucracy. Americans deserve a Secret Service that protects, not one that panders.
