The Secret Service agents who rushed to stop an armed gunman at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night have been working without full funding for more than 60 days.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, forced his way through a security checkpoint outside the International Ballroom at the Washington Hilton just after the dinner started Saturday night. He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives. Secret Service agents engaged him and brought him down. One agent took a round to the chest; the ballistic vest held.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, along with Vice President JD Vance and Cabinet members, were evacuated safely.
The response was professional and fast. But it came from a Secret Service that has been operating under a partial Department of Homeland Security funding lapse since February 14. Senate Democrats refused to pass DHS appropriations after a deadly January incident involving immigration enforcement officers, triggering a shutdown that has now stretched past 60 days. Negotiations remain at a standstill.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran warned Congress just last week that the agency is not adequately staffed for upcoming major events: the FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Summer Olympics, and the 2028 presidential election cycle. The agency is already stretched across a growing list of protected individuals and locations.
Saturday’s shooting was not an isolated scare. It follows two confirmed assassination attempts against Trump and a separate incident at Mar-a-Lago last month where an armed intruder was shot and killed after breaching the property.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that investigators do not believe Allen acted with accomplices, confirming President Trump’s comments that the shooter was a “lone wolf.”
Allen had checked into the Washington Hilton on Friday, one day before the event. He told law enforcement after his arrest that he was specifically targeting Trump administration officials. He has been charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said more charges are expected as the investigation continues.
Republicans are exploring funding DHS through budget reconciliation for the remainder of Trump’s term, the same process used for immigration enforcement funding last year. Democrats have pushed for operational changes at DHS as a condition for any deal, with negotiations going nowhere.
Secret Service agents put themselves between an armed gunman and the president on Saturday night. They did their jobs. Congress has not done theirs.
