On the recordJanuary 27, 1994
I traveled with the Secret Service on President Clinton's trip to Europe to participate in the NATO conference and meet with President Havel of Czechoslovakia. I chair the appropriations subcommittee which funds the Secret Service. As many of the Members of this body have witnessed, the Presidential protection provided by the Secret Service is very sophisticated, manpower intensive, and costly. Like other Members, I do want to get a handle on the needs and the costs to find out if the Service is overdoing the protection or if it is in fact justified. Hence, the purpose of my trip was to review the Secret Service operations for international travel of the President. This particular Presidential trip was unique in that President Clinton made stops and visits in several different countries and the Service had to leap-frog equipment, agents, and technicians from one country to another to prepare for the next stop.
