The White House has requested an additional $58 million in security funding for the executive and judicial branches from Congress in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget confirmed Monday.
The request, which Punchbowl News first reported, would be added to a continuing resolution that must pass by the end of the month to keep the government open; federal funding expires Sept. 30. Additional details about how the funds would be spent were not immediately released. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck and killed Wednesday during a stop on his American Comeback Tour at Utah Valley University. The killing has intensified scrutiny of security for high-profile public figures and prompted officials to seek additional resources for protective agencies.
The request comes amid a string of high-profile attacks and plots that have placed law enforcement and protective services under increased pressure. In July 2024, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a rooftop at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing former President Donald Trump and killing attendee Corey Comperatore, 50. In September 2024, authorities arrested Ryan Routh at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida; Routh has been charged in an alleged attempt to assassinate Trump and is currently on trial. Separately, Nicholas John Roske, 29, pleaded guilty in April to attempting to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after a 2022 plot.
Former Secret Service agents and officials said the agency has been operating at an elevated posture since the earlier attempts and is introducing changes to counter evolving threats. Ronald Rowe, a former acting Secret Service director, told lawmakers in December 2024 that the agency had expanded the use of drones for surveillance and was deploying more counter-drone technology to mitigate kinetic attacks.
"The Secret Service now has to play at a level of enhanced security that they've never dreamed of before," said Tim Miller, who served as a Secret Service agent during the administrations of George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. "They don't have time. This threat is now."
The U.S. Secret Service extended condolences to the Kirk family but declined to comment on whether the agency will change the president's protective detail in response to the killing. "The safety and security of our protectees is the U.S. Secret Service’s top priority," a Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement. "President Trump receives the highest levels of U.S. Secret Service protection and the agency adjusts our protective posture as needed to mitigate evolving threats. Out of concern for operational security, we cannot discuss the means and methods used for our protective operations."
Congressional leaders face a compressed calendar to consider the supplemental security request while negotiating a continuing resolution to fund the government. Lawmakers routinely add targeted security or emergency funding to short-term spending measures, but such additions can complicate negotiations over unrelated policy and broader budgetary priorities.
The funding push underscores growing concerns among officials about gaps in protective capabilities and the cost of scaling them. Investigations and reviews of recent security lapses are expected to continue, and agencies have signaled plans to adapt tactics and technology as threats evolve. Prosecutors and investigators are handling cases related to the recent violence and prior plots, and trials or plea proceedings in several matters remain pending.