Part of the Department of State, the Diplomatic Security Service is a federal law enforcement agency responsible for various protective and investigative missions. Unfortunately, the DSS is near a breaking point.

The critical challenge is a growing and sustaining list of people that the DSS must protect. The agency has a standing mandate to protect non-head-of-state foreign dignitaries visiting the United States, the secretary of state, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., and U.S. ambassadors assessed at high risk. Yet, facing an array of serious threats by Iran to assassinate various active and former U.S. officials, the DSS has been tasked with maintaining full-time protective details for those who would otherwise not have that security. Namely, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Iran special envoy Brian Hook. This is costing the government more than $2 million a month. Moreover, it is forcing the diversion of DSS agents away from investigative duties, such as countering passport fraud, and into time-consuming protective assignments.