SerpApi.Org
Secret Service agents assigned to J.D. Vance have grown increasingly frustrated with the vice president’s family over frequent last-minute travel requests, with multiple sources saying the detail has become “fed up” with the demands placed on personnel, according to a new report.
Vance family trips
The complaints center on repeated schedule changes and impromptu travel that agents say require them to cancel days off, scramble to develop security plans and devote significant government resources with little notice.
Several people familiar with the situation told MS NOW the pattern has created a growing morale problem within the protective detail assigned to J.D., second lady Usha Vance and their children.
Among the incidents drawing criticism was a planned Marine Two helicopter flight intended to transport one of J.D.’s young sons to a golf lesson at Joint Base Andrews. The flight was ultimately canceled because of severe thunderstorms and high winds in the Washington area.
According to people familiar with the plans, J.D. had intended to accompany his son before the trip was called off and the child was instead driven to the lesson. The vice president’s office did not comment on the change.
‘That is ridiculous’
Current and former Secret Service supervisors told the outlet there is no formal policy prohibiting a government helicopter from transporting a vice president’s child. Still, they said they were unaware of any previous vice president making a similar request for a local activity. Operating Marine Two costs taxpayers between $16,000 and $24,600 per flight hour, according to 2022 Defense Department estimates.
One source familiar with the planned golf trip reacted bluntly, saying, “That is RIDICULOUS. [Mike] Pence and [Kamala] Harris never pulled anything like that.”
Sources also said the vice president has requested several last-minute helicopter trips to the Middleburg, Va., area while searching for a new home. Agents reportedly view the family’s frequent schedule changes as a departure from the advance notice typically provided by previous vice presidents.
One person familiar with the detail said, “They change everything. They don’t stick to their schedules and that costs s***-tons of taxpayer money.”
Another added, “The detail is tired of them not giving notice on things and making everything an [off-the-record movement]. [J.D.] thinks he can still move around like a U.S. senator.”
Responding to the controversy
Responding to questions surrounding the report, the VP’s office said, “The Vances are grateful to the men and women of the U.S. Secret Service who serve our country with distinction. While protecting a vice president with a large policy portfolio and a young and growing family presents a unique challenge, agents of the Secret Service do so with excellence every day.”
Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn defended the agency’s mission, saying agents understand protective assignments require “long hours, frequent travel and the need for constant flexibility,” adding that personnel are committed to protecting officials while preserving as much normalcy as possible for their families.
