Senate Parliamentarian Rejects Trump Ballroom Funding in GOP Package
The ruling blocks Republicans from using special budget rules to advance a $220 million ballroom project tied to a $1 billion security request.
- On Saturday night, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that a $1 billion security provision for President Donald Trump's proposed White House ballroom cannot be included in the GOP immigration enforcement bill, dealing a major procedural blow to the president's priority.
- Republicans sought to include the funds within a roughly $72 billion immigration enforcement package to bypass the Senate's 60-vote threshold, hoping to secure passage via a simple majority vote using complex budget reconciliation rules.
- Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued against the plan, with Merkley stating Americans shouldn't spend "a single dime" on the "Louis XIV-style ballroom" while ignoring broader economic needs.
- Party leaders are now revising the legislation to address the ruling, though Democrats warn they are prepared to stop any modified version of the spending package before next week's vote.
- The ruling complicates the project's future, as some Republicans worry about political optics of the expenditure in an election year, despite the White House insisting the funds are strictly for security enhancements.
178 Articles
178 Articles
Senate GOP looking for off-ramp from White House ballroom debacle
The Senate is gearing up for a battle over funding President Trump’s White House ballroom, which will take center stage when senators debate a budget reconciliation package this week to fund immigration enforcement operations through 2029. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough dealt a major setback to Republicans on Saturday by ruling that their plan to provide…
Senate official rejects ballroom security funding
WASHINGTON — A U.S. Senate official removed security funding that could be used for President Donald Trump's planned White House ballroom from a massive spending package late Saturday, Democratic lawmakers said, imperiling Republican efforts to devote taxpayer money to the…
The Senate Rules Committee on Saturday rejected taxpayer funding for Donald Trump's ballroom project, which would add an 8,300-square-foot ballroom to the White House that could seat 650 people. Trump wanted to do this so that larger events could be held indoors without having to pitch tents in the garden. The plan was previously that the $200 million (roughly 70 billion forints) project would be financed by Trump from his own pocket and private…
The ballroom project at the White House arouses an unexpected republican sling. Estimated at $400 million, it now faces budgetary blockages and a complaint about the violation of the...
Senate parliamentarian rules against Trump’s White House ballroom funding in budget bill
Earlier this month, the Senate Judiciary Committee — as well as the upper chamber's Homeland Security Committee — included funding for the new complex in a budget reconciliation bill for federal immigration enforcement.
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