GAO report flags policy gaps and slow updates in Secret Service drone response

A GAO audit released Thursday reveals persistent shortcomings in how the U.S. Secret Service adapts its protection guidelines after emerging threats. From 2015 to 2025 the service responded to 83 incidents but revised its policies for only 25, leaving many drone encounters undocumented. The Butler, Pennsylvania attack, where a drone hovered for 11 minutes before a shooter wounded Donald Trump, exemplifies the risk of missing records.

Additionally, eight of 22 security policies were not updated within the required four-year window, and a memorandum with the Diplomatic Security Service has not been refreshed since 1991, omitting modern threats like drones. The GAO recommends mandatory documentation of reasons for not changing policies, a step the Department of Homeland Security says it will implement.