Republicans weigh dropping $1B security bid for Trump’s White House ballroom

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Republican senators are considering whether to withdraw a $1 billion security funding request tied to the White House complex and President Donald Trump’s ballroom after the proposal struggled to attract sufficient backing among GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The request had been pushed by the White House and folded into a broader immigration enforcement measure intended to restore money for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol, but the security package triggered resistance over cost and over what lawmakers said was a lack of detail about how the funds would be used.

Sen. John Kennedy said Wednesday that the bill was “back to square one” without the security money because “the votes are not there.” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., also criticized the plan, calling it a “bad idea” and saying he did not think there was enough support to pass the security package even if it were reduced. Lawmakers indicated the bill’s text had not yet been released.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged Wednesday that leaders are dealing with “ongoing vote issues” as they test Republican support, along with “ongoing parliamentarian issues” as they determine what could be allowed under chamber rules. The process for advancing the immigration enforcement bill is complicated, and Democrats have signaled they will use amendment votes to challenge parts of the measure.

The security dispute is unfolding alongside Democratic criticism of Republicans for seeking to fund Trump’s ballroom amid voter concerns about affordability. Some GOP senators also have expressed frustration with the administration and with Trump’s involvement in party politics, including his Tuesday endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary runoff next week against Sen. John Cornyn.

A central additional complication for Republicans is the presence of Trump-linked settlement money in the legislative package. The proposal includes an “anti-weaponization” fund connected to a settlement that resolves Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. Democrats said they would force votes to block the fund or attach restrictions, and Republicans have been discussing last-minute changes to the settlement’s terms and to who could receive compensation, according to people familiar with private talks.

Democrats have an opportunity to slow or reshape the legislation because Republicans are trying to move the immigration enforcement bill through the reconciliation process, which relies on a long sequence of amendment votes and is subject to limits set by the Senate’s parliamentarian. Several amendments, including those that Democrats could use to try to block the new settlement fund outright or restrict payments tied to people who harmed law enforcement officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, were being considered as Republicans worked toward a path forward.

Thune, who said Tuesday he is “not a big fan” of the settlement and does not see a purpose for it, said Wednesday that any new language potentially putting restrictions on the settlement is “a work in progress.” Even as Senate leaders test options, it is unclear how any changes would be received in the House, where some Republicans also have criticized the settlement.

Meanwhile, tensions between Trump and the Senate have been visible in the political fight over the agenda. After Republicans challenged the settlement and other parts of Trump’s agenda, Trump posted on social media urging Republicans to fire Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who had said over the weekend that parts of the $1 billion security proposal cannot remain in the ICE and Border Patrol bill. In the same push, Trump renewed calls for the Senate to pass the SAVE Act, which would require all voters to prove U.S. citizenship, and to end the Senate filibuster.

Some lawmakers also directly questioned details about the security request itself. Under the Secret Service request, about $220 million would pay for security improvements related to the ballroom, while the rest would go toward a new screening center for visitors, training, and other security measures. Tillis argued the bill should not have included the other security improvements, saying it was “just giving everybody the ‘billion-dollar ballroom.’” Other senators said they left a recent Secret Service briefing needing “a lot more information.”

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy questioned the proposal by pointing to everyday costs, asking, “People ‘can’t afford groceries and gasoline and healthcare, and we’re going to do a billion dollars for a ballroom?” Cassidy lost reelection in his GOP primary after Trump endorsed one of his opponents. Cassidy’s comment reflected the wider skepticism among some Republicans about spending priorities and the need for clearer justification for the request.

Although the package’s fight has focused on the ballroom-linked security money, the legislation would also keep funding for ICE and Border Patrol in place, an area Democrats have blocked for months in protest of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown. Republicans have been using reconciliation to fund the agencies through the end of Trump’s term with a simple majority, without Democratic votes, but passage still depends on signoff from the parliamentarian and on unity among Senate Republicans.

As Thune left the Capitol Wednesday evening, he said, “We’re working on it,” and added, “We’re working on it,” as leaders continued to measure support and refine what could be permitted within Senate rules. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that the House would pass the bill “whatever form it takes,” even as the Senate’s internal GOP debate over the ballroom security funding and the settlement fund continued.