Secret Service’s ‘odd’ new suit policy raises eyebrows

New Secret Service agents assigned to protective details are set to receive a taxpayer-funded wardrobe upgrade, according to a new CNN exclusive report.

The Secret Service will provide two tailored suits to agents graduating from protective detail training, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, citing a recently published public contract solicitation. The suits will be navy blue, made entirely in the United States, and include embroidered name labels inside the jackets.

Two sources said the idea for a style refresh “happened because Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem disliked how a protective detail was dressed in the suits they bought for themselves.” But a DHS spokesperson denied that characterization, saying the decision “does not have to do with optics.”

“This is to fix the inequity that non-uniformed (officers) have to pay for their uniform,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN. DHS also suggested the benefit could help with recruitment by easing the financial burden for agents just starting their careers.

The move has surprised some agency veterans. A former senior law enforcement official said this kind of benefit has never been offered to plainclothes Secret Service agents.

“With all the resource challenges the Secret Service has, this seems like an odd expenditure,” said former agent Jon Wackrow, a CNN contributor.

Newly trained agents typically earn between $70,000 and $90,000 annually, including benefits, according to the CNN report. The suits would be funded within the agency’s existing budget, but the partial government shutdown could complicate the process.