By Steve Neavling
The Secret Service, which has been a part of the Department of Homeland Security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, could return to the Treasury Department if Republicans get their way.
The Secret Service was a part of the Treasury Department until it moved to the Department of Homeland Security.
Reps. Roger Williams, R-Texas, and David Kustoff, R-Tenn., introduced a bill last week that would move the Secret Service back to the Treasury Department, Government Executive reports.
“The Department of the Treasury is a better fit for the Secret Service, as the main responsibility of the agency is to combat financial crimes and counter critical criminal threats to the U.S. financial systems,” Kustoff said in a press release on Tuesday. “Returning the Secret Service to the U.S. Treasury will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its investigations and bolster its capability to combat illicit finance and cybercrime.”
In a statement to Government Executive, Williams said, “Transferring them from the Department of Homeland security to the Treasury Department would help fulfill their mission of protecting our nation from the ever-changing threats to our financial system.” Moreover, “this strategic realignment will bolster coordination between the two agencies and increase their capabilities to investigate and combat financial crimes.”
The Secret Service did not comment on the bill.
The move would need legislative approval.
