Following an assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Saturday, two members of the House from different political parties -- Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) -- announced Sunday they will introduce a bill to improve Secret Service protection for the former president, President Joe Biden, and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Biden, Trump and Kennedy Jr. are running for presidential elections this year. This bill comes after the assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, where Trump was shot in the ear.
In a joint statement, Lawler and Torres said, "As reports continue to emerge, it's clear that more protection is needed for all major candidates for president," Axios reported.
The lawmakers added, "That's why we're planning on introducing bipartisan legislation providing President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. with enhanced Secret Service protection. Anything less would be a disservice to our democracy."
The shooting highlighted that Kennedy does not have Secret Service protection. The Democratic governor of Colorado Jared Polis posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Biden should "immediately provide Secret Service protection" to the independent candidate.
In a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Sunday, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) asked if the agency would reconsider its decision to deny protection for presidential candidate Kennedy.
"We are a nation of laws and of free and fair elections. It is why we are the greatest country in the world. This was a security failure at the highest level, not seen since the attempted assassination of President Reagan. This cannot happen, and I demand accountability," the letter mentioned.
The shooting has led Congress to examine the Secret Service closely. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is scheduling a hearing with the Secret Service Director on July 22.
Following the rally shooting, Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, "I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin."
"Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening."
In the same post, Trump also thanked the United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response to the shooting and extended his condolences to the family of the person at the rally, who was killed alongside the family of another person that was badly injured.
Trump also gave an update about his upcoming events, revealing that initially he had thought about delaying his trip to Wisconsin and The Republican National Convention, but then he decided a "shooter" or potential assassin couldn't force him to change his schedule.
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