The U.S. Secret Service plans to start giving two tailored suits to each agent who finishes protective detail training under a proposed five-year contract. This decision follows comments from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was unhappy with the look of the protective detail, according to a report referencing CNN and a federal contract solicitation.
The solicitation requests two navy blue suits for each new protective detail graduate. The suits will be made in the United States and will have the agent’s name sewn inside the jacket, according to the report. This benefit would mark a change for plainclothes agents who have usually paid for their required suits out of pocket and could not get reimbursed.
A former senior law enforcement official called this move unprecedented, and some veteran employees in the agency were surprised by the change.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin supported the plan as a way to address costs for new agents. She told CNN that this decision is not about appearances. The goal is to lessen the financial burden for men and women just starting their careers.
McLaughlin told the publication “This does not have to do with optics” but aims to fix inequities for the “men and woman who are just starting their career.” Continuing: “This is to fix the inequity that non-uniformed (officers) have to pay for their uniform,” she added
Former Secret Service agent Jon Wackrow raised concerns about the spending in comments to CNN that were also included in the report. He said, “With all the resource challenges the Secret Service has, this seems like an odd expenditure.”
Because she disliked how they dressed, DHS Sec. Kristi Noem will now spend taxpayer dollars to buy custom suits for Secret Service agents. pic.twitter.com/TIo3P1e8l4
— FactPost (@factpostnews) February 21, 2026
The report mentioned that entry-level agents assigned to protective details usually earn between $70,000 and $90,000 a year, including benefits. Leadership sees the cost of the suits as a financial strain that could be eased to help with recruitment.
This proposed suit benefit will come as the agency deals with budget issues, including the situation of Secret Service personnel working without pay during a partial federal government shutdown. This shutdown is linked to a standoff over immigration enforcement reforms and DHS funding. The report stated that Secret Service employees are considered essential, but their paychecks have been delayed.
The report also indicated that the suit plan is connected to Noem’s concerns about how the protective detail looked in suits that agents had bought themselves, citing two sources familiar with the situation.
The Secret Service employs about 3,000 special agents and more than 1,300 Uniformed Division officers across the country, as noted in the report. Protective detail assignments are among the agency’s most visible roles. Agents need to blend into high-profile settings while remaining ready to respond to threats.
The report did not clarify whether the contract would move forward during the shutdown or how the agency would pay for the suits within its current budget. While the agency previously recieved a big budget, they have rapidly expanded their operations in Trump’s second term.
