US House unanimously passes bill to boost Trump’s security

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill on Friday to bolster former US President Donald Trump’s security after the recent apparent assassination attempt.

The Enhanced Presidential Security Act, which was introduced by Reps. Mike Lawler and Ritchie Torres, would require the Secret Service to “apply the same standards for determining the number of agents required to protect Presidents, Vice Presidents, and major Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates.”

The vote was 405-0. However, it remains unclear how the Senate plans to handle the measure.

Torres said on Friday that Lawler and he are "deeply grateful" to their colleagues in the House for voting unanimously in support of the bill, which seeks to fill gaps in Secret Service protection to ensure the safety of US presidential candidates.

The voting came five days after the Secret Service thwarted a second apparent assassination attempt on Republican presidential nominee Trump who was playing golf in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The agents spotted and fired shots on the suspect -- identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58 -- who was poking a rifle out of the bushes outside the Trump's golf course.

Routh fled the scene and was later arrested by local authorities.

The incident occurred two months after Trump was wounded during an assassination attempt on July 13, when Thomas Matthew Crooks, a lone 20-year-old gunman, opened fire on him during a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, grazing his right ear.