The proposal by Senate Republicans would send $1 billion to the U.S. Secret Service for security changes linked to President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project, and it does so inside legislation that would also fund immigration enforcement agencies. The announcement adds a new point of conflict over how public money should be used for the East Wing ballroom effort after a man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last week.
The Senate bill, released late Monday, would set aside the $1 billion for the Secret Service for “security adjustments and upgrades” related to the ballroom project, which Trump and Republicans have been pushing since the April 25 dinner at the Washington Hilton. The legislation says the funding would support enhancements to the ballroom project, “including above-ground and below-ground security features,” while also spelling out that the money may not be used for non-security aspects of the ballroom.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle praised the Senate GOP’s move, saying it would be “long overdue” and would “provide the United States Secret Service with the resources they need to fully and completely harden the White House complex, in addition to the many other critical missions for the USSS.” The bill’s ballroom security funding is tied to the decision to harden the White House complex following the charge in the dinner incident, according to the AP report.
Republicans have framed the additional security money as a response to the event at the dinner, and some have argued for broader public funding. The White House has previously said private money would cover construction of the ballroom, while public money would be used for security measures, according to the AP story. The bill’s size also drew attention because it far exceeded a proposed $400 million estimate for the ballroom’s construction itself.
The legislation also arrives amid an ongoing budget fight over immigration enforcement. AP reported that the money is part of a larger bill to pay for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, and that Democrats have been blocking funds for those agencies since mid-February. Congress passed bipartisan legislation funding the rest of the Homeland Security Department on April 30 after a record-long shutdown, but Republicans are using a partisan budget maneuver to push the ICE and Border Patrol dollars on their own, the report said. The House has not yet released its version, and the Senate is expected to begin voting on its bill next week.
Legal challenges to the ballroom project remain in motion. AP reported that the National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to block the construction, and that a federal appeals court said last month that the project could continue in the meantime. The White House, meanwhile, has said in court documents that the East Wing project would be “heavily fortified,” including bomb shelters, military installations and a medical facility underneath the ballroom, and Trump has said it should include bulletproof glass and be built to repel drone attacks.
Republicans selling the security upgrades tied to the ballroom also argued against holding the dinner at a hotel again. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who introduced a bill to pay for construction with Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said, “It would be insane” to hold the dinner at a hotel again, according to AP. Democrats signaled they oppose the idea, with Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., saying: “While Americans are struggling to make ends meet as a result of President Trump’s failed policies, Republicans are focused on providing tens of billions of dollars for the President’s vanity ballroom project and cruel mass deportation campaign,” AP reported.