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Funding allocated for Trump's White House ballroom cut
Senate Republicans removed the funding allocated for Trump's White House ballroom and Secret Service from the immigration bill. The decision has political and procedural implications...
Republicans in the U.S. Senate removed up to $1 billion in funding planned for Donald Trump's White House ballroom and Secret Service from a revised immigration enforcement bill. The amendment sparked new political tension around the controversial project that Trump has persistently supported.
The party leadership concluded that the funding could derail the broad immigration package both politically and procedurally. Republicans want to pass the bill using the reconciliation process, which is used for budget-related measures and requires a simple majority instead of 60 votes in the Senate.
Highlights
- Senate Republicans removed the White House ballroom and Secret Service funding from the bill.
- The cut could reach up to $1 billion.
- Trump pressured Congress members to approve the funding.
- Political risks and procedural obstacles influenced the decision.
- The previous ruling by the Senate parliamentarian also challenged the bill's content.
Why did the funding Trump wanted cause controversy?
The Trump administration argued that the funding was necessary due to an alleged assassination attempt on Trump during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 25. Administration officials said that only about $200 million of the allocated money would go to the ballroom, with the rest spent on other Secret Service needs.
However, the plan also caused unease among some Senate Republicans. Some lawmakers expressed concerns that such an item could make the party appear out of touch with voters struggling with high costs during the run-up to the November midterm elections.
Fragile balance in the reconciliation process
The updated amendment came out of the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week. The change followed weeks of internal Republican debates. The party is trying to advance a broader package covering significant parts of the Homeland Security budget and transferring tens of billions of dollars to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agencies.
The reconciliation process gives Republicans a significant advantage but leaves little room for error. There are only 53 Republicans in the Senate, and passing the bill requires support from some Democrats and two independent senators who caucus with the Democrats.
Parliamentarian ruling complicated the process
In May, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the reconciliation process could not be used for the previous draft that included funding for ballroom security, citing non-compliance with the Byrd Rule. This rule prevents adding provisions unrelated to federal spending or outside committee jurisdiction to the package.
If this ruling had remained in effect, Democrats were expected to challenge the amendment and force Republicans to meet a higher vote threshold. The White House denied interpretations that the funding was deliberately removed by Republicans, arguing that the provision was dropped following the parliamentarian's ruling.
Context: Senate Majority Leader John Thune said last month that the bill would be rewritten using a new method following the parliamentarian's ruling. Thune also recalled that it took five attempts to get parliamentarian approval on a tax and spending bill last year.
After the ruling, the debate moved beyond a budget item and turned into a question of what price Republicans are willing to pay to advance their immigration package. The White House ballroom project now stands out as a topic challenging both the party's internal balance and the delicate vote count in the Senate.
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