WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney would continue to be shielded by the Secret Service for at least six months after he leaves office under legislation the House passed Monday.
The measure, approved by voice after being endorsed by Democrats and Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee last month, writes into law a common practice of extending federal protections for the vice president and his family in the months immediately after his time in office ends.
Recent vice presidents, going back to Hubert Humphrey in 1969, have generally been accorded about a half-year of protection after leaving office. But because there has been no law in place, it has required a special act of Congress or a presidential directive. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the extra protection would cost about $4 million in fiscal year 2009.
