Republican senators left a closed-door meeting Tuesday with the director of the U.S. Secret Service saying they need more details on a $1 billion security plan for the White House, including a proposed $220 million to secure President Donald Trump’s new East Wing ballroom.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran attended the meeting and briefed senators behind closed doors as questions circulated in recent days about the scope of the request. According to a handout he provided to senators, obtained by The Associated Press, the ballroom funding would go toward hardening measures, including “bulletproof glass,” “drone detection technologies,” and “chemical and other threat filtration and detection systems,” among other national security functions.
The handout’s proposed breakdown also described additional spending beyond the ballroom. It listed $180 million for a new, “long overdue” White House visitors screening facility, and $175 million for “investments to train USSS agents in the modern threat environment.”
Sen. Rick Scott, a close ally of Trump, said he wanted more information after what he described as an incomplete explanation of how such a large sum would be spent. “I want more information,” Scott said, adding that he ran companies and would expect details when someone proposed spending a billion dollars on a specific project.
The pushback comes as Republicans try to connect the security money to a larger Senate effort that would restore funding for immigration enforcement agencies, after Democrats have blocked that funding since February. GOP leaders have been working to pass the immigration enforcement funding through the Senate without Democratic votes, and lawmakers’ internal skepticism about the White House security request could complicate that effort.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins questioned why the full set of security improvements were not reflected in Trump’s budget released earlier in the year, saying she asked for “a lot more data” during the meeting. Sen. Todd Young said he could support some ballroom funding he described as “defensible,” but said senators needed more detail on how the figures were developed, adding that the information provided was “broad categories.”
Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul said he preferred that the funding be private, and he pointed to Congress increasing the Secret Service budget after another attempted assassination of Trump during the 2024 campaign. Paul questioned whether the spending should proceed at this time, asking: “Was it spent wisely? Do they really need more at this time?”
Secret Service officials also tied the request to risk management, according to the material presented to senators. Beyond the White House improvements, the handout said the agency was requesting $175 million for “enhancements for protectee security,” $150 million for “evolving threats and technology,” including countering drones and airspace incursions, and $100 million for security at high-profile “events of national significance.”
Democrats signaled they plan to contest the proposal. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would push the Senate parliamentarian to strike the security money from the bill, saying the procedural process involved in budget reconciliation can rule certain provisions in or out. Schumer said Democrats planned to offer amendments on the Senate floor if the money remains, including proposals by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, to redirect the $1 billion to a criminal justice program or law enforcement officers’ benefits.
Concerns about the security funding also surfaced in the House, where Republicans had not introduced their own version of the bill. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was waiting on the Senate product and that Republicans would “see what bill we get.” Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said the request could be pared down and that some parts might be shifted to future annual spending bills, while also suggesting that Republicans could approve the full request once additional information becomes available.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune backed the legislation, arguing that the Senate should pass it now because of Democratic obstruction and what he described as unwillingness to fund law enforcement. Still, the meeting’s takeaways for Republicans were clear: several senators said they support more protection for the president but want further specifics before the $1 billion request moves forward.