Senate Republicans just killed Donald Trump’s billion-dollar White House ballroom dream. The funding removal from a key immigration bill sparked internal party tensions and fierce political maneuvering.
Donald Trump’s ballroom project loses funding
Senate Republicans will drop a $1 billion Secret Service funding request from their immigration enforcement bill. The provision would have partly funded President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project. Politico first reported the development on Tuesday.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) confirmed the decision after a GOP lunch meeting on Wednesday. “We were told that the ballroom money is out,” Kennedy told reporters. He added that he would “like to read the text” before making further comments. Two factors drove the removal of the funding provision from the bill. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled the provision violated reconciliation rules over the weekend. She found it funded activities outside the Judiciary Committee’s jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, several Republican senators publicly opposed including ballroom funding in an immigration bill. A larger group privately objected to the provision as well. Their frustration grew after Trump endorsed Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in Texas. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told members that parliamentary issues and vote counts blocked the provision. However, he later said conversations remain ongoing, and bill text is not yet finalized.
Draft legislation had explicitly mentioned the East Wing Modernization Project in its text. It specified that part of the $1 billion could fund “above-ground and below-ground security features.” The White House had treated the language as congressional approval for the entire ballroom project. The administration attempted to reassure senators that only $220 million would potentially support the project. Still, GOP senators had unanswered questions heading into Wednesday’s unofficial deadline.
Republicans are privately bracing for a furious reaction from Trump over the decision. The president had already called for MacDonough’s firing on Truth Social before leaders acted. Removing the funding also does not resolve other political challenges facing the immigration bill.
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on Mandatory.com.
