A Senate parliamentarian’s procedural ruling has disrupted Republicans’ plan to attach $1 billion in White House security spending to a fast-moving budget measure, Democrats said Saturday, complicating GOP negotiations over an immigration enforcement funding package.
According to Democrats’ account of the parliamentarian’s decision, the parliamentarian ruled that the security proposal could not be included in the narrow bill because it was too large and complex to fit the package’s procedural limits. The parliamentarian’s reasoning, as described by Senate Democrats, said the narrow GOP budget bill could not be filibustered and was designed to rely on a simple majority, while the White House project described by Republicans was broad in scope.
Democrats said they had argued to the parliamentarian that the security money did not belong in the bill. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer took credit for the ruling after Democrats pushed the decision, saying Republicans tried “to make taxpayers foot the bill for Trump’s billion-dollar ballroom,” and that Senate Democrats “fought back — and blew up their first attempt.”
The $1 billion security request is tied in part to the president’s new ballroom and broader East Wing renovation plans, the report said. Democrats said it would have provided security for Trump’s ballroom as well as other White House additions, including a visitor screening center, additional agent training, and extra reinforcements for large events.
Republicans said they would revise the legislation in response to the parliamentarian’s advice. Ryan Wrasse, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, wrote on X that “none of this is abnormal” during the budget process, adding: “Redraft. Refine. Resubmit.”
While the parliamentarian’s ruling is advisory rather than binding, lawmakers often follow such guidance when shaping bills that can pass with only a simple majority, the report said. The reporting noted that most Senate legislation is subject to the filibuster, requiring 60 votes, which is why Republicans are seeking a parliamentary path designed to avoid that threshold.
Republicans are aiming to approve a roughly $72 billion package to fund U.S. immigration enforcement agencies until the end of Trump’s term, according to the report. Democrats have blocked the money for months, and the new effort is intended to support operations through September 2029, adding to other funding Congress provided last year in a large tax law.
As part of the broader package, Republicans included $1 billion for White House security enhancements, including a component connected to the ballroom. The report said the U.S. Secret Service requested the money after a man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month.
The report said the parliamentarian kept most of the immigration portions of the legislation intact, though some minor provisions were blocked—specifically including Customs and Border Patrol funding tied to hiring, training, and paying Border Patrol agents. Republicans described those as technical fixes.
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said Saturday evening that Democrats were “prepared to challenge any change to this bill,” arguing that federal resources should not be spent on Trump’s ballroom effort and instead should focus on other priorities.