If the SOTU does happen while the government is still shut down, Tomsheck is confident in the Secret Service’s ability to fully secure it. “However, they’ve already missed one paycheck and are moving towards another,” he said. “Yes, the Secret Service will get the job done, but there is not an agency where working for a protracted period of time, without pay, without an end in sight, doesn’t have an impact on morale.”

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