Cummings Warns Congress After Report Into Secret Service Released

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings issues a warning to Congress after the release of a report that calls the Secret Service an agency in crisis.

Pat Warren has more on where those problems lie.

A series of high-profile breaches put the Secret Service in the congressional hotseat.

Misconduct, including a 2012 prostitution scandal involving several agents, and the indictment Wednesday of a Maryland agent allegedly sending explicit messages to an officer posing as a 14-year-old girl, security breaches, including a man with a knife who makes it into the White House, allegations of drunk driving involving two senior officials and two agents found sleeping on the job.

"We have a duty to take this moment that we have now where we now have our report, we know about the things that have gone wrong and making the corrections," said U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) District 7.

Ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings says Congress budget cuts cause a staffing crisis.

"They think austerity does not have negative impact, but clearly, it's had negative impact with regard to Secret Service," said Cummings.

"They have a problem with their hiring, they have a problem with morale and they have a problem with their mission, with the size of their mission and the expansion of their mission over time," said U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, (R) District 1.

Congressman Andy Harris believes the role of the Secret Service should be scaled back.

"Most people think of the Secret Service as just the protective aspect, but there's, in fact, a large investigative aspect. In fact, most of the agents in the Secret Service are there to investigate financial crimes," he said.

The report concludes the agency is understaffed and overworked.

The report cites leadership and budget cuts at fault, and there's bipartisan agreement on both.

The report concludes a year-long investigation.