A provision tucked into the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act restricts the Pentagon’s ability to quickly revoke protections for former officials who face security threats — an attempt by lawmakers to curb retaliatory moves like those carried out by President Donald Trump at the beginning of his second term.
The language still allows the Defense secretary to make decisions about which former officials do or do not need security details after leaving their government jobs, but puts in place new timelines, assessments and notification requirements before security can be pulled.
The little-noticed provision comes after Trump, soon after taking office in January, revoked the security details of former government officials who had once worked for him but later became critics, including former national security adviser John Bolton, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley.
