Nancy Pelosi Could Lose Security Months After Husband's Attack

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could lose her government-funded security detail shortly after her husband was brutally attacked at their San Francisco home.

As she'd promised previously, the 82-year-old Democratic congresswoman announced she would be stepping down from her role in House leadership Thursday, presumably clearing the way for a new generation to ascend into leadership.

"Now we must move boldly into the future," Pelosi said in a speech on the House floor. "The hour has come for a new generation."

In doing so, Pelosi—who will remain in Congress for the time being—relinquishes the spotlight she had held since her first term as speaker starting in 2007. But in doing so, she will likely also relinquish the government-funded security detail assigned to Washington's top political figures.

By law, the United States Secret Service is required to protect any figures in line for the presidency, including the president, the vice president, or other individuals next in order of succession to the Office of the President, among others.

As Speaker of the House, Pelosi currently sits second-in-line for the presidency behind Vice President Kamala Harris and is constitutionally entitled to a government-funded security detail provided by the U.S. Capitol Police. A full-time security detail is also offered to the House and Senate Majority and Minority Leader, and House and Senate whips.

With her exit from leadership, that protection could now be in doubt mere weeks after her husband, Paul, was assaulted in his home by a man wielding a hammer, causing serious injury.

A loss of security could mean a slower response time. Though the cameras trained on Pelosi's house were unmonitored at the time an intruder broke into the house, according to reporting by The New York Times, Pelosi's husband was under remote observation by the U.S. Capitol police, though it did not notice the break-in until local police had already responded.

A San Francisco police car had also been posted outside of their home until about a year before the attack, CNN reported—a regular level of protection that may cease once Pelosi exits from leadership.

While rank-and-file members of Congress can sometimes receive added protection, the Capitol Police force generally just monitors potential threats, while leveraging partnerships with local law enforcement agencies in response to specific concerns.

"The assistance we receive from our partner agencies is crucial to ensure the safety and security of the Members of Congress while they are away from the U.S. Capitol," Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement following the attack on Pelosi's home. "The Department will continue to coordinate with state and local law enforcement agencies on Member security."

The U.S. Capitol Police declined to comment on specific plans for Pelosi in the future, telling Newsweek in a statement that "for safety reasons, the USCP does not discuss potential security measures for Members."

Some members have recently resorted to paying their own way. In response to a number of unspecified threats tied to her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump, Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney notably limited her public appearances in the state and employed a private security detail.

Other members of Congress, according to a 2021 analysis by Mother Jones, used campaign finances to fund security details at an unprecedented rate amid an increasing level of rancor from the public. In the three months after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, security spending among members of Congress jumped 176 percent from the same period one year earlier.