President Donald Trump on Thursday reportedly moved to end an unusual extension of taxpayer-funded Secret Service protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris, canceling an arrangement that had quietly been granted in the final days of the Biden administration.
In a letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security, viewed by CNN, the president directed: “You are hereby authorized to discontinue any security-related procedures previously authorized by Executive Memorandum, beyond those required by law, for the following individual, effective September 1, 2025: Former Vice President Kamala D. Harris.”
The statutory period for vice presidential protection is six months after leaving office.
That timeline expired for Harris in July. But, according to reports, former President Joe Biden had taken the unusual step of ordering an additional year of taxpayer-funded coverage, an arrangement that was never publicly disclosed until Trump’s order this week.
The decision will strip Harris not only of a round-the-clock security detail but also of the expansive surveillance and threat-monitoring systems that accompany it. The move comes just weeks before Harris is set to embark on a nationwide book tour promoting her memoir, 107 Days.
The revelation that Biden quietly authorized a secret extension of security for his former running mate underscores, for many conservatives, a pattern of political favoritism and disregard for established norms.
By law, protection ends after six months. Extending that window by another year, without public disclosure, effectively kept taxpayers on the hook for a benefit not granted to other vice presidents.
Trump’s action, supporters argue, restores the practice to its legal boundaries. The order makes clear that Harris, like other former vice presidents before her, is entitled only to the protections guaranteed by statute—not to special carve-outs issued behind closed doors.
While Harris remains a prominent public figure, the cancellation highlights a broader debate over how long and under what circumstances former officeholders should receive federal protection.
Critics of Biden’s move note that former vice presidents routinely transition back to private life without the level of security afforded to former presidents, and that Harris had already enjoyed the allotted six months.
For Trump, the decision reflects a broader effort to roll back policies and decisions left in place by Biden. In this case, the president’s order brought to light a security directive that the previous administration had never acknowledged publicly.
The timing of the cancellation, just before Harris launches her book tour, may draw attention, but the administration has pointed to the plain letter of the law. The six-month window, they note, expired in July. Anything beyond that was an extra benefit unilaterally conferred by Biden.
By making the change, Trump placed Harris back on the same footing as her predecessors, reinforcing the view that federal resources should not be diverted for political convenience.
For Harris, the loss of security comes at a moment of renewed visibility. For Trump, the revocation signals a willingness to unwind what he views as unnecessary perks granted under Biden, while reasserting a stricter reading of the law.
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