Presidential Travel: Secret Service and DOD Need to Ensure That Expenditure Reports Are Prepared and Submitted to Congress

The Secret Service is responsible for protecting the President and his family, including adult children when they travel. The Secret Service can request assistance in its mission from other agencies, such as DOD and the Coast Guard. When the President travels, he must fly on DOD aircraft.

GAO was asked to review the travel- related costs for four trips that the President took to Mar-a-Lago and three trips that the President's adult children made to certain overseas destinations. This report examines (1) the costs incurred by federal agencies associated with the President's travel on selected trips to Mar-a-Lago, (2) the costs incurred by federal agencies associated with certain overseas trips taken by Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump, and (3) the extent to which the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, and DOD have reported their costs pursuant to the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976. GAO analyzed agency cost data in connection with the President's travel to Mar-a-Lago and the President's adult children's trips to certain overseas locations. GAO also reviewed the law, agency guidance, and semiannual reports related to the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976.

GAO estimated that federal agencies incurred costs of about $13.6 million for the President's four trips to Mar-a-Lago from February 3 through March 5, 2017. This estimate consisted of approximately $10.6 million for operating costs of government aircraft and boats and $3 million for temporary duty costs of government personnel supporting the President's travel, including transportation, lodging, and meals and incidental expenses. These figures do not include certain classified cost information or the salaries and benefits of government personnel traveling with the President because, salaries and benefits would be paid regardless of whether the President was traveling.

The United States Secret Service (Secret Service) incurred about $396,000, primarily for temporary duty costs, while protecting Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump during three international trips taken in January and February 2017. Eric Trump traveled to Uruguay and the Dominican Republic and Donald Trump, Jr., Eric Trump, and their spouses traveled to the United Arab Emirates. Documentation provided by Secret Service officials confirmed that the Trumps and their spouses flew on commercial aircraft. Officials from the 89th Airlift Wing confirmed that no military aircraft supported these trips. Secret Service agents protecting the Trump family flew by commercial aircraft.

GAO found that, of the three agencies required to report by the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976, as amended, only the United States Coast Guard (Coast Guard) reported protection costs semiannually to Congress for fiscal years 2015 through 2017. GAO found that the Secret Service does not have a policy for ensuring that the semiannual reports are prepared and has not consistently submitted the reports. Secret Service officials last submitted reports in fiscal year 2015 and were unaware that reports had not been submitted in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 until GAO requested this information. GAO also found that the Department of Defense (DOD) has a policy but did not produce and submit the reports as required. Moreover, weaknesses in DOD's existing policy and instruction do not clearly establish the responsibility for preparing and reporting the costs incurred to support protection activities. Absent clear policies with an oversight mechanism to ensure that the reports are produced, Congress has not been provided required information concerning the costs for providing protective services for the President and others.

GAO is making recommendations to the Secret Service and DOD to ensure that the reports required under the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976, as amended, are prepared and submitted. The Department of Homeland Security and DOD concurred with GAO's recommendations.

The President of the United States must be ready to travel anywhere in  the world on a moment’s notice. The President flies on military aircraft  provided by the Department of Defense (DOD) on all trips, regardless of  the type of travel: official, political, or other non-official purposes.  Department of Justice memoranda have advised that when presidential  travel is for official purposes it is to be paid for with government funds,  and when it is for political purposes, appropriated funds cannot be used.  These memoranda also note that even though presidential travel may not  be official, there are certain individuals who are required, in the  performance of their official duties, to accompany the President when he  travels; therefore their costs are to be paid from appropriated funds.

The United States Secret Service (Secret Service) is responsible for  protecting the President and his family, including the adult children of the  President, unless they decline such protection. At the request of the  Secret Service, assistance must be provided by other agencies, such as  DOD and the United States Coast Guard (Coast Guard). Under the  Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976, as amended, the Secret  Service does not reimburse DOD or the Coast Guard for assistance  provided on a temporary basis when the duties are directly related to the  protection of the President, the Vice President, or other officer  immediately next in order of succession to the office of the President.  Otherwise, all assistance that executive departments and agencies  provide to the Secret Service in the performance of its duties must be  reimbursed by the Secret Service.

We previously reported on certain costs of presidential travel during the  administrations of former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. In  2016, we reported on travel costs for former President Obama for a 2013  trip to Chicago, Illinois, and West Palm Beach, Florida. In 2000, we  reported on total aircraft support costs for international trips taken by the  President, Vice President, and First Lady from January 1997 through  March 2000. Finally, we reported in 1999 on travel costs for former  President Clinton for international trips to Africa, Chile, and China.

You requested that we examine costs associated with the President’s four  trips to the Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida between  February 3, 2017 and March 5, 2017, and three international trips taken  by Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump in January and February 2017. This  report examines  1.  the costs incurred by federal agencies associated with the President’s  travel on selected trips to Mar-a-Lago from February to March 2017;  2.  the costs incurred by federal agencies associated with Donald Trump,  Jr.’s and Eric Trump’s trips to Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, and  the United Arab Emirates in January and February 2017; and  3.  the extent to which the Coast Guard, Secret Service, and DOD have  reported their costs for protection from fiscal year 2015 to 2017,  pursuant to the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976, as  amended.

To address our first objective, we collected and reviewed data on agency  assets and personnel used in support of presidential travel that was  completed between February 3, 2017 and March 5, 2017. Specifically,  we collected and analyzed operational cost data, including operating  hours and estimated operating costs, from the Air Force’s 89th Airlift Wing,  the 618th Air Operations Center, and Marine Corps Helicopter Squadron  One that were related to supporting the presidential airlift requirement,  including any supporting vehicles or equipment. We also obtained and  analyzed travel cost data, including per diem and other travel expenses,  for any Secret Service personnel and military personnel who supported  the President’s trips. Additionally, we collected and reviewed cost data  from agencies directly supporting the Secret Service during the  presidential travel completed between February 3, 2017 and March 5,  2017, such as the Coast Guard, Military Working Dog teams, and the  Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. We collected and reviewed available  travel data, to the extent it was provided to us, to account for the travel  costs of government officials on official travel at Mar-a-Lago during the  time frame of our audit. Although we collected the major, unclassified  travel-related costs that agencies incurred (hereafter referred to as costs),  we did not collect travel costs for officials from the Executive Office of the  President. Therefore, our totals represent an approximate amount spent  for the four trips. We contacted White House Counsel’s Office in April  2017 and January 2018 to solicit information from the Executive Office of  the President related to coordinating travel for the President and any  costs associated with White House staff traveling with the President. As  of January 2019, the White House had not responded to our requests for  information. We also did not include certain classified cost information or  information about federal funds provided to local law enforcement by the  Federal Emergency Management Agency.

As we examined the costs incurred for the President’s travel, we did not  include the salaries and benefits, including overtime, of U.S. government  civilian and military personnel traveling with the President or involved with  agency travel preparations, since these personnel would have received  their salaries and benefits for the conduct of their regular duties and  responsibilities regardless of whether the President traveled. We  reviewed laws, regulations, and policies to identify the rules and  processes governing agencies that support presidential travel and agency  costs on employee per diem and operational spaces for employees who  accompany the President when he is traveling domestically. We also  interviewed officials from DOD, the Department of Homeland Security  (DHS), and the Department of Justice.

To address our second objective, we collected and analyzed cost data  from the Secret Service and the Department of State in connection with  trips taken by Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump to the Dominican  Republic, the United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay. Additionally, we  interviewed officials from the Secret Service and the Department of State  and reviewed relevant policies and guidance regarding reimbursement for  agencies that provide support to the Secret Service. We also obtained  documents and interviewed DOD officials concerning whether any DOD  aircraft had been used to support these overseas trips.

To address our third objective, we reviewed applicable laws, regulations,  and internal Coast Guard, Secret Service, and DOD policies related to the  preparation and submission of reports required by the Presidential  Protection Assistance Act. We also obtained and reviewed available  reports from the Coast Guard, Secret Service, and DOD from 2015  through 2017. We selected these three years because they included  travel conducted in 2017 and they were the most recent years that would  have been available at the time of our review. We interviewed officials  from the Coast Guard, Secret Service, and DOD regarding the contents  and submission of these reports.

As part of this work, we assessed the reliability of DHS and DOD data by  interviewing officials to determine what mechanisms were in place to  ensure data quality, and we reviewed the data for obvious errors and  anomalies. We further conducted manual testing procedures such as  reviewing underlying documents for missing data, recreating calculations  to ensure that totals were correct, and matching selected cost data to  supporting documentation such as credit card statements and travel  vouchers. Based on these steps we determined the data to be sufficiently  reliable for our purposes.

We conducted this performance audit from April 2017 to January 2019 in  accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain  sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our  findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that  the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions based on our audit objectives.

Guidance governing executive agencies’ use of government aircraft  generally does not apply to aircraft in use by or in support of the  President. Memorandum opinions to the White House from the  Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel have provided guidance  for categorizing expenses associated with official, political, and personal  travel by the President or Vice President. These memoranda provide that  certain individuals—such as Secret Service and military aides and  support personnel—are required in the performance of their official duties  to accompany the President whenever he travels. Further, the official  nature of the responsibilities performed by these persons does not  change depending upon whether the trip is official, political, or personal  and their expenses should generally be paid from public funds.

DOD organizations such as the Air Force 89th Air Wing, Presidential  Airlift Group, and Marine Helicopter Squadron One provide passenger  airlift for presidential travel (fig. 1). The Air Force Air Mobility Command  also provides aircraft to move equipment, such as limousines, to support  the President’s travel. The Military Working Dog Program and Explosive  Ordnance Disposal Program support protection of the President while he  is on travel by providing explosive detection capabilities.

The Secret Service protects the President through a layered security plan  that includes securing locations the President will be visiting, as well as  physically screening individuals entering secure areas and conducting  background checks on individuals scheduled to be within close proximity  to the President, as deemed necessary. Secret Service personnel who  support presidential travel include personnel from the Presidential  Protection Division and from various headquarters divisions that support  protective operations, field offices across the country that provide  additional manpower, and the field office with jurisdiction over the  location. Additionally, the field office with jurisdiction over the location  provides logistical support, additional manpower, regional expertise, and  coordinates with state and local law enforcement entities. Consistent with  the Presidential Protection Assistance Act, the Secret Service requests  support from other agencies—including the Coast Guard and DOD—as  necessary when the President travels.

The Coast Guard primarily secures the waterways in support of protecting  the President, family members, and other designated protectees, as  necessary. Specifically, when requested by the Secret Service, the Coast  Guard will enforce security zones and provide air intercept capabilities for  protectees. Local assets are used to the extent that they are available.  However, the Coast Guard can request additional support from Coast  Guard assets across the nation to meet the security demand.

Costs related to presidential travel fall into two primary categories:

Operational costs include costs for assets used to transport or provide  protection for the President or spaces used for operational purposes.  These include costs for government aircraft and vehicles, such as Air  Force One, Marine One, airlift, patrol boats, and hotel rooms used as  command centers.

Temporary duty costs are costs incurred for personnel who are  traveling on official business. These costs include those for  transportation, lodging, meals and incidental expenses and other  travel-related expenses for personnel supporting the President’s  trips. They also include travel-related expenses for personnel who  operate the government aircraft and vehicles used to support the  President’s trips and Secret Service agents who provide protection.  They include the costs for additional personnel who provide bomb  detection and disposal capability—military working dog teams and  explosive ordinance disposal teams—and support personnel from the  White House Military Office, the White House Communications  Agency, and the White House Transportation Agency.

Two regulations implement statutory requirements and executive branch  policies for travel, allowing agencies to pay for or reimburse their  employees’ per diem expenses (lodging, meals, and incidentals  expenses) and other travel-related expenses:

The Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), issued by the General  Services Administration (GSA), applies to Secret Service personnel.

The Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), issued by the Department of  Defense, apply to DOD personnel.

Both regulations allow agencies to pay for employees’ daily expenses  when they travel, based on allowances set by GSA for the applicable  location and date (per diem rates) or the actual expense of travel. Under  the FTR, the maximum amount that a civilian employee may be  reimbursed is 300 percent of the applicable per diem rate. The JTR  allows uniformed service members to be reimbursed up to 300 percent  when they travel in the continental United States, but they can be  reimbursed more than 300 percent of the per diem rate for lodging when  they travel outside the continental United States.

Costs for each presidential trip may vary, because each trip is unique.  Costs associated with each trip can be influenced by a number of factors,  mainly the location, number of protectees, foreign visitors, time of year,  the protectee’s schedule of events, and the airlift requirements—including  the originating location of airlift flights. The combination of these factors  can increase or decrease the cost to transport and protect the President.  Specifically, an increase in the number of protectees, including foreign  dignitaries, would require the Secret Service to deploy additional  personnel to support its protective operations.

Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976

The Presidential Protection Assistance Act establishes procedures and  reporting requirements for protective services provided by the Secret  Service. The primary aim of the legislation was to strengthen control over  costs for protective services, particularly at non-governmental properties,  by centralizing in the Secret Service authority and accountability for such  costs. The Act continues the authority of executive departments and  agencies to assist the Secret Service in meeting its protective  responsibilities but specifies that protective services may only be provided  at the request of the Secret Service and must be on a reimbursable basis  except when temporary support is provided by DOD and the Coast Guard  and is directly related to protecting the President, Vice President, or an  officer immediately next in the order of succession to the office of the  President. The Act further requires that the Secret Service, DOD, and the  Coast Guard submit semiannual reports in March and September to six  congressional committees on expenditures pursuant to the Act.

Costs for the President’s Travel for Four Trips to Mar-a- Lago Totaled about $13.6 Million

For the President’s four trips to Mar-a-Lago from February 3, 2017 to  March 5, 2017, we estimate that federal agencies incurred costs of about  $13.6 million. As shown in table 1, these costs consisted of approximately  $10.6 million for operating costs and $3.0 million for temporary duty costs.  DOD and DHS incurred the majority of these costs—about $8.5 million  and $5.1 million, respectively. As previously mentioned, these figures do  not include certain classified cost information. Moreover, they do not  include the salaries and benefits of U.S. government civilian and military  personnel traveling with the President or involved with agency travel  preparations, because these personnel would have received their salaries  and benefits for the conduct of their regular duties and responsibilities  regardless of whether the President traveled.

We identified about $60,000 in expenses paid to Mar-a-Lago for these  four trips. DOD lodging expenses of about $24,000 were within GSA  limits of 300 percent of the per diem rate. DHS expenses of about  $36,000 were for space required by the Secret Service for operational  purposes. The legal authorities that the Secret Service relied on to pay for  these kinds of rooms do not limit how much the agency can pay;  however, none of the rooms used to meet operational security standards  exceeded the maximum allowed under the FTR’s actual expense  reimbursement method.

DOD incurred an estimated $8.5 million in costs to provide support for the  President’s four trips to Mar-a-Lago from February 3, 2017 to March 5,  2017, as shown in table 2 below. The majority of these costs were  operational costs for DOD assets, specifically, for operating Air Force  One and Marine Corps One to transport the President, as well as airlift  support from the Air Mobility Command.

Table 2 shows the estimated costs incurred by DOD for these trips. The  cost per flying hour for military aircraft is a significant cost driver that  affects the overall costs of any presidential travel. These costs are  predominately borne by the Air Force and the Marine Corps, because  they operate the aircraft used by the President. Generally, Air Force One  costs represent the operating costs to fly the President from Joint Base  Andrews, Maryland, to Palm Beach, Florida. Similarly, the Marine Corps  One costs represent the operating costs to fly the President between the  White House and Joint Base Andrews. For the airlift support  requirements, the Air Mobility Command used aircraft departing from  various U.S. Air Force bases. These aircraft arrived at Joint Base  Andrews or Marine Corps Base Quantico to transport Secret Service  personnel and vehicles and Marine Corps personnel and helicopters to  support the trip before returning to their air base of origin (see fig. 2).

DOD also incurred temporary duty costs for DOD personnel who  supported these trips, including the travel associated with the aircrews  and support personnel for Air Force One and Marine Corps One. Each of  the military services also provided military working dog teams (see fig. 3)  and explosive ordnance disposal teams to provide explosive detection  and disposal capabilities and to perform patrol functions.

Finally, personnel from the White House Military Office incurred travel  expenses associated with the President’s trips. For these four trips, the  majority of DOD personnel stayed at nearby hotels with rooms at the GSA  rate or within 300 percent of the GSA per diem rate, as required by the  FTR and JTR. DOD paid $24,414.70 to Mar-a-Lago for lodging expenses  for DOD personnel. We reviewed lodging receipts and confirmed that  these payments were within 300 percent of the GSA per diem rate.

DHS incurred an estimated $5.1 million in costs to provide support for the  President’s four trips to Mar-a-Lago from February 3, 2017 to March 5,  2017. Of this figure, the Secret Service incurred about $1.6 million to  provide support. This included per diem and other related travel  expenses, such as commercial airfare or use of rental cars for officials  traveling in advance of the President. We identified about $35,750 in  expenses for operational space at Mar-a-Lago for these four trips. Table 3  shows the estimated costs incurred by the Secret Service and the Coast  Guard for these trips.

The majority of costs incurred by the Secret Service were temporary duty  costs associated with travel to protect the President. The number of  agents assigned to the protective detail for each trip varied based on the  number of protectees present (including foreign dignitaries) and unrelated  events at the same location.

To execute the four trips, the Secret Service leveraged support from  across the agency and field offices across the country to implement  protective operations for the President’s travel. Agents were assigned as part of the protective detail—providing twenty-four hour protection for  the President or other protectee; members of the advance team—determining and implementing the  security plan for the site; or on-site support throughout the duration of the visit.

For example, agents from the Secret Service’s Presidential Protective  Division, Uniformed Division, and Technical Security Division, among  others, traveled in advance of the President to assess the location and  develop and implement a security plan. Further, agents from Secret  Service field offices across the country provided additional manpower at  Mar-a-Lago and supported the Presidential Protection Division within the  Office of Protective Operations —which holds primary responsibility for  the daily protection of the President—in ensuring that the location  remained safe for the President and other protectees.

The majority of agents who supported the four trips during our time frame  did not stay at Mar-a-Lago. The Secret Service booked a limited number  of rooms around the President to meet operational security  requirements. According to officials, these rooms allowed the Secret  Service to provide 360-degree protection around the President. For these  four trips, most Secret Service agents stayed at nearby hotels at which  rooms were at the GSA lodging rate or within 300 percent of the GSA per  diem rate, consistent with the FTR.

The Coast Guard incurred about $3.4 million in costs to provide support  for the four trips to Mar-a-Lago. The majority of these costs were  operational costs for Coast Guard assets, specifically, the use of small  response boats, special purpose law enforcement boats, deployable  rotary wing aircraft, and marine protection-class cutters to provide support  in waterways near Mar-a-Lago (see fig. 4). For the Coast Guard,  operating costs are determined by the type of boat or aircraft used and  the hourly operating costs.

According to Coast Guard officials, to the extent possible, they request  support from assets that they determine are within close proximity to the  travel location. For the four Mar-a-Lago trips, support was requested from  the local Miami sector, Kings Bay (Georgia), New Orleans (Louisiana),  Houston (Texas), Boston (Massachusetts), and New York (New York).

The Coast Guard incurred other travel-related costs, such as for meals  and incidental expenses and lodging for officials on temporary duty  assignment to support the President’s travel. Coast Guard officials noted  that, if possible, personnel are to stay on the asset (for example a boat);  however, if this is not possible, they are to stay in nearby lodging at or  within 300 percent of the GSA per diem rate. Coast Guard officials  confirmed that personnel supporting presidential travel for these four trips  did not stay at Mar-a-Lago.

Costs for the Secretary of Homeland Security’s Travel

The Department of Homeland Security incurred costs of about $6,000 in  connection with the Secretary of Homeland Security and staff’s travel to  Mar-a-Lago on March 4, 2017. Costs included transportation to and from  Mar-a-Lago and per diem expenses (meals and incidental expenses).  According to DHS officials, agents supporting the protection of the  Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security were multi-staffed and  protected other protectees at the same time. Therefore, travel costs for  personnel associated with the Secretary’s protective detail are captured in  the overall travel costs for this trip. No lodging costs were incurred at Mar- a-Lago in connection with the Secretary of Homeland Security’s travel.

Additional Costs by Other Agencies for Official Travel

The Department of Justice and the Department of State incurred costs of  about $29,000 for official travel to Mar-a-Lago during these four trips.  The Department of Justice incurred costs of about $18,000 to transport  the Attorney General, his Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) detail, and  three Department of Justice personnel to Mar-a-Lago for one trip. The  operational costs were for the FBI Gulfstream 550 used to transport the  officials from the Washington, D.C. area to West Palm Beach, Florida and  back. The Department of Justice provided documentation that no  Department of Justice or FBI personnel had per diem expenses, since the  trip was less than 12 hours. In addition, the Department of State  incurred costs of about $10,000 to provide interpreter support and  protocol officials associated with the President’s trip to Mar-a-Lago in  February 2017 when the Prime Minister of Japan was a guest.

Costs for the President’s Two Adult Children’s Travel to Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, and the United Arab Emirates Totaled about $396,000

The Secret Service incurred costs of approximately $396,000, primarily  for Secret Service agents’ temporary duty costs, while protecting Donald  Trump, Jr., Eric Trump, and their spouses during three international trips  taken during January and February 2017, as shown in table 4 below. Eric  Trump traveled to Uruguay from January 3, 2017 to January 5, 2017 and  the Dominican Republic from February 2, 2017 to February 3 2017.  Donald Trump, Jr., Eric Trump, and their spouses traveled to the United  Arab Emirates from February 14, 2017 to February 19, 2017. The Secret  Service protects presidential family members domestically and  internationally. Children of the President with a protective detail are  required to receive protection twenty-four hours a day, and agents who  are part of their detail travel with them wherever they go.

For international travel, because there are no local Secret Service field  offices in most countries, the Department of State supports the Secret  Service by booking and paying for all hotel reservations required by  Secret Service and State Department personnel and coordinating onsite  needs. This includes, but is not limited to, acquiring rental cars, phones,  and interpreters at the trip’s destination. Transportation for individuals in  foreign offices is booked in a variety of ways. For example, agents may  book their own flights, flights may be booked by a contracted agency, or  sometimes the local embassy may assist in booking transportation. Meals  and incidental expenses are reimbursed to the traveler. The Secret  Service and the Department of State have implemented a memorandum  of understanding detailing their respective roles and responsibilities and,  as required by law, the Secret Service is to reimburse the Department of  State for all costs incurred in support of the Secret Service’s protective  operations.

Documentation provided by the Secret Service confirmed that Donald  Trump Jr., Eric Trump and their spouses flew on commercial aircraft.  Officials from the 89th Airlift Wing confirmed that no military aircraft  supported these trips. Secret Service agents protecting the Trump family  flew by commercial aircraft. Additionally, reimbursement documentation  provided by both the State Department and the Secret Service confirmed  that no costs were incurred for chartered air travel.

As with all protective missions, Secret Service officials noted that the  number of agents assigned to the detail depended on the number of  protectees and the threat environment, among other things. The trips to  the Dominican Republic and Uruguay each included only one protectee,  and the trip to the United Arab Emirates included four protectees.

Secret Service and DOD Have Not Reported Costs as Required Under the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976

For fiscal years 2015 through 2017 we found that, of the three agencies  required to report costs incurred for protecting the President and others  under the Presidential Protection Assistance Act, only the Coast Guard  reported semiannually on costs under the Act. The Secret Service did  not do so consistently, and DOD did not report any protection costs  during this time frame.

Coast Guard: The Coast Guard submitted the semiannual reports  required under the Act for fiscal years 2015 through 2017. To facilitate  complying with the Presidential Protection Assistance Act, the Coast  Guard developed and implemented a policy for preparing the semiannual  reports to Congress. The policy contains business rules identifying what  information is to be collected and by whom, who is responsible for  compiling the information, and time frames for when the information is to  be submitted internally. For example, the Coast Guard operationalized  collection of this information by requiring a form to be used when  collecting information related to protective details for the Vice President  and the President. Its internal policy and additional guidance also require  that information be submitted internally no more than 14 days after each  event and validated no more than 30 days after each event. According  to agency officials, these business rules and forms are published and  provided to all Coast Guard field units, and quarterly reminders about  completing the forms are disseminated via email.

Secret Service: The Secret Service has not consistently submitted the  semiannual reports to Congress and does not have a policy for ensuring  that the semiannual reports are prepared. Specifically, we found that the  Secret Service submitted semiannual reports to Congress in 2015 but  had not submitted semiannual reports for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. The  Secret Service notified us that it was compiling and submitting reports for  fiscal year 2017 after we had brought the reporting requirement to  officials’ attention during the course of our review. Secret Service officials  told us that they were unaware that the reports for 2016 and 2017 had not  been submitted until we requested this information.

According to Secret Service officials, the division that is responsible for  preparing and submitting the reports to Congress experienced a transition  in leadership during the period when there was the lapse in reporting.  Specifically, management and the personnel responsible for preparing  and submitting the reports to Congress were no longer with the agency in  2016 and therefore could not brief incoming management hired in 2017.  According to officials, this contributed to a reporting lapse. Standards for  Internal Control in the Federal Government states that management  should implement control activities through policies, for example, by  documenting responsibilities for each unit. Control activities are the  policies, procedures, techniques, and mechanisms that enforce  management’s directives to achieve the entity’s objectives. Further,  management should also define objectives clearly to enable the  identification of risks and define risk tolerances. This would include  defining objectives in specific terms so they are understood at all levels  and can be carried out without regard to personnel changes. This further  involves clearly defining what is to be achieved, who is to achieve it, how  it will be achieved, and the time frames for realizing the achievement.  Establishing a policy defining requirements for producing the semiannual  reports to Congress—including what is to be reported, the entity  responsible for preparing and submitting the reports, and reporting time  frames—and an oversight mechanism to ensure that the reports are  prepared and submitted to Congress, may better position the Secret  Service to consistently report required expenditure data to specified  congressional committees as required.

DOD: DOD has issued a policy related to collecting information on its  support for the Secret Service’s protective duties but has not produced  and submitted the required reports to Congress in accordance with its  policy. DOD officials were unaware that the reports had not been submitted until we requested them. According to DOD officials, the  reports were not submitted as a result of an administrative oversight, and  they could not determine when the reports had last been submitted.

This situation is in part the result of weaknesses in DOD’s existing policy  and implementing instruction with regard to specific information that could  help ensure the reports are consistently produced and provided to  Congress. For example, the policy requires that any DOD organization  incurring costs associated with support provided to the Secret Service  collect and report the costs to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for  Homeland Defense and Global Security, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs  of Staff, and the Chief Financial Officer. However, neither the policy nor  underlying instruction sets forth time frames for internal or external  reporting to ensure that the semiannual dates are met. Further, DOD has  no mechanism for ensuring that the required information is submitted to  Congress.

As previously noted, internal control standards require that management  should implement control activities through policies and define objectives  clearly to enable the identification of risks and define risk tolerances. This  involves clearly defining what is to be achieved, who is to achieve it, how  it will be achieved, and the time frames for realizing the achievement.  Moreover, the policies, procedures, techniques, and mechanisms that  enforce management’s directives to achieve the entity’s objectives are to  be defined.

According to a DOD official, in March 2018 the department began efforts  to gather the information necessary to prepare the required report.  However, collecting the information has been challenging, largely due to  the multiple data sources and inconsistent methods for capturing the data  to date. Therefore, according to DOD officials, once the department  completes its initial data collection effort, officials plan to assess the  adequacy of the data and review DOD’s existing guidance to identify  revisions needed to ensure that future reports are submitted in  accordance with Presidential Protection Assistance Act. However, the  agency has not yet defined the steps necessary to fulfill near-term  reporting requirements under the Act, or time frames for doing so. By  addressing these issues, DOD could be better positioned to comply with  the law.

Further, while DOD officials anticipate updating the policy and instruction  at a future date, steps and time frames for completing the update have  not yet been defined, and it is unclear when or whether the updates will  occur. Updating DOD’s policy and instruction to specify the requirements  and establish an oversight mechanism may better position DOD to report  expenditure data to Congress, as required, on a semiannual basis and  enhance visibility over the costs associated with providing protective  services, in particular in relation to protection at nongovernmental  properties.

The Secret Service, with help from the Coast Guard and DOD, plays a  vital role in protecting the President during his travels. The Presidential  Protection Assistance Act was intended to establish procedures to control  the expenditure of federal funds for protection at nongovernmental  properties; it requires that each of these entities report expenditures  under the Act. The Secret Service, the Coast Guard, and DOD have all  incurred costs related to protection for the President and others.  However, information on such costs is limited, because only the Coast  Guard has been reporting them. As a result, Congress lacks information  about the amounts that DOD and the Secret Service have expended for  providing protection—including providing protection at nongovernmental  properties. This limits congressional efforts to ensure accountability for  these costs. The Secret Service does not have a policy in place that  defines and enforces reporting requirements, and DOD’s policy and  underlying instruction lack important details such as time frames for  reporting expenditures and a mechanism for ensuring that the required  information is submitted to Congress. DOD has initiated steps to develop  required reports but has not identified the specific steps it will take and  the time frames within which these efforts will be completed.

We are making one recommendation to the Director of the Secret Service  and two to the Secretary of Defense.

The Director of the Secret Service should establish a policy defining  requirements for producing the semiannual reports of expenditures  required by the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976, as  amended, and an oversight mechanism to ensure that the Secret Service  consistently submits these reports to specified congressional committees.  (Recommendation 1)

The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Under Secretary of  Defense for Policy updates its policy and instruction on providing support  to the Secret Service to define the requirements for producing semiannual  reports of expenditures required by the Presidential Protection Assistance  Act of 1976, as amended. These requirements should, at a minimum,  include (1) the steps and time frames for completing updates to the policy  and instruction, (2) time frames for reporting the expenditures, and (3) an  oversight mechanism to ensure that the Department of Defense  consistently submits these reports to specified congressional committees.  (Recommendation 2)

The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Under Secretary of  Defense for Policy defines the steps, including time frames, necessary to  achieve near term reporting requirements under the Presidential  Protection Assistance Act of 1976, as amended, and submit the reports  as required. (Recommendation 3)

We provided a draft of this report for review and comment to the  Executive Office of the President, and the Departments of Homeland  Security, Defense, Justice, and State. DHS and DOD provided written  comments, which are reproduced in appendixes I and II respectively. In  their comments, DHS and DOD concurred with their respective  recommendation(s).

DHS concurred with our first recommendation, which called for the Secret  Service to establish a policy defining requirements for producing the  semiannual reports of expenditures required by the Presidential  Protection Assistance Act of 1976, as amended, and an oversight  mechanism to ensure the Secret Service consistently submits these  reports to specified congressional committees. Specifically, the Secret  Service has recently updated several guidance documents related to the  Act. It further plans to publish a directive during fiscal year 2019  documenting the requirements for producing the semiannual reports and  defining the oversight mechanism to ensure that the reports are  consistently submitted.

DOD concurred with our second recommendation, which called for DOD  to update its policy and instruction on providing support to the Secret  Service to define the requirements for producing semiannual reports of  the expenditures required by the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of  1976, as amended.

DOD concurred with our recommendation that DOD define the steps,  including time frames, necessary to achieve near term reporting  requirements under the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976, as  amended, and submit the reports as required.

DHS and DOJ also provided technical comments, which we incorporated  into the report as appropriate.

The Department of State and the Executive Office of the President had no  comments.

As agreed with your offices, unless you publicly announce the contents of  this report earlier, we plan no further distribution until 30 days from the  report date. At that time, we will send copies to the Executive Office of the  President; the Secretary of Homeland Security; the Director of the Secret  Service; the Commandant of the Coast Guard; the Secretary of Defense;  the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the Commandant of the  Marine Corps; the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; the Secretary of  State; and the Attorney General.

Consistent with section 10 of the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of  1976, this report is also being sent the Committees on Appropriations and  on the Judiciary, the House Committee on Oversight and Government  Reform, and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and  Governmental Affairs.

In addition, the report is available at no charge on the GAO website at  http://www.gao.gov.

If you or your staff have any questions concerning this report, please  contact Brian Lepore at (202) 512-4523 or leporeb@gao.gov or Diana  Maurer at (202) 512-9627 or maurerd@gao.gov. Contact points for our  Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on  the last page of this report. Key contributors to this report are listed in  appendix III.

Appendix I: Comments from the Department of Homeland Security

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Defense

Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

In addition to the contact named above, Gina R. Hoffman, Assistant  Director; Joseph P. Cruz, Assistant Director; Tracy Barnes, Kerstin  Hudon, Jennifer Kamara, Joanne Landesman, Carol Petersen, Michael  Silver, Janet Temko-Blinder, and John Wren made key contributions to  this report.

We were asked to examine the cost of 4 trips to the Mar-a-Lago resort by the President and 3 international trips by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump between January and March 2017.

federal agencies spent about $13.6 million for the Mar-a-Lago trips. The Departments of Defense and Homeland Security incurred most of the costs—about $8.5 million and $5.1 million, respectively. This excludes certain classified cost information.

the Secret Service spent about $396,000 protecting the President's sons and their spouses on 3 international trips.

We recommended that agencies comply with reporting requirements for protection costs.