Construction cranes are seen from the Washington Monument, at the site of the former East Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 17, 2026.
Anna Moneymaker getty images
President Donald Trump’s effort to secure taxpayer-funded security upgrades attached to his proposed White House ballroom hit a wall after the Senate. of parliament Ruled that a $1 billion Secret Service provision cannot be included in the GOP immigration enforcement bill as drafted.
The Senate GOP vowed to find another way to include funding in the bill.
of parliament Elizabeth McDonough It was determined Saturday that the provision, which included $220 million for security upgrades associated with the East Wing Ballroom project, is outside its jurisdiction. Senate Judiciary Committee.
Budget reconciliation bills must follow strict rules, including bird ruleWhich prohibits provisions on federal spending deemed unnecessary or beyond the jurisdiction of the committees drafting them. It is up to the MP to decide what is suitable and what is not.
That means Republicans will have to rewrite the language if they want to keep it in a party-line budget reconciliation package. Using the reconciliation process bypasses the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster limit, meaning that with a narrow majority, a party can approve budget-related legislation with a simple-majority vote.
“Redraft. Refine. Resubmit. None of this is unusual during the Byrd process,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Ryan Reese, spokesperson for written on xAfter the provision ends.
The provision is part of a broader Republican immigration enforcement package that would provide approximately $72 billion for border and immigration agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
The White House and Senate Republicans have earmarked $1 billion in Secret Service funds for security upgrades, not direct construction money for the ballroom.
The funding is detailed in a memo obtained by MS Now $220 million The proceeds will go toward the East Wing Ballroom project, while the rest will pay for other Secret Service security measures. Trump has said that the ballroom will be funded by private donors, not taxpayers.
The new pressure comes after an attempt on Trump’s life in April White House Correspondents’ Association DinnerWhich Republicans have cited as evidence that additional security measures are needed. The dinner is not organized by the government, but by a group of journalists.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawmaker’s decision.
The ruling adds another complication for Senate GOP leaders as they race to pass the sweeping immigration package as quickly as possible this week and send it back to the House before a week-long recess.
McDonough has already ruled against several other parts of the measure, forcing GOP leaders to revise several provisions as they try to keep the package on track.
a spokesperson for Senate Judiciary Committee Republican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Democrats have argued that the amount of security-related funding helps taxpayers finance the project.
“While we expect Republicans to make changes to this bill to appease Trump, Democrats are prepared to challenge any changes to this bill,” Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Budget Committee, said in a statement.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats “will continue to fight the resolution with votes in the bird bath, on the Senate floor, and anywhere Republicans try to attack Americans’ hard-earned money for Trump’s gilded palace.”