Trump, who claims a net worth of billions of dollars and used to pay his private security guard nearly $300,000 a year, does not appear to have taken any action to help Secret Service agents with mortgage, rent or day-to-day living expenses. Like hundreds of thousands of other federal workers, the 7,000 employees of the Secret Service, including the protective details for Trump and his family as well as uniformed agents who guard the White House, were scheduled to be paid on Friday. It would have been the first paycheck of the new year, and the first after the holiday gift-giving season. Lending money directly could run afoul of federal ethics law, but donating to charities that are helping furloughed employees would likely be legal. The United States Secret Service also did not respond to HuffPost’s queries about what guidance it is giving its agents who cannot meet their financial obligations because of the shutdown.

Source: Huffington Post January 11, 2019 22:18 UTC