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$1B WH Security Proposal Dealt Blow 05/18 06:27
A proposal to fund $1 billion in security additions for the White House
campus and the president's new ballroom fails to meet procedural rules,
according to the Senate parliamentarian, dealing a blow to Republican plans to
include it as part of a bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies for the
next three years.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A proposal to fund $1 billion in security additions for
the White House campus and the president's new ballroom fails to meet
procedural rules, according to the Senate parliamentarian, dealing a blow to
Republican plans to include it as part of a bill to fund immigration
enforcement agencies for the next three years.
The parliamentarian's ruling, described late Saturday by Senate Democrats,
said that funding for a project as large and complex as President Donald
Trump's massive East Wing renovation is too broad to be included in the narrow
GOP budget bill, which cannot be filibustered and only needs a simple majority
to pass.
It's unclear if Republicans will be able to immediately salvage any part of
the billion-dollar Secret Service proposal, which would fund security for
Trump's ballroom along with other parts of the White House, including a new
visitor screening center, additional training for agents and extra
reinforcements for large events. Republicans said Saturday night that they are
revising the legislation based on the parliamentarian's advice.
Ryan Wrasse, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, wrote in a
post on X that "none of this is abnormal" during the complicated budget process
that Republicans are using to try and pass the immigration enforcement and
White House security money on a partisan basis.
"Redraft. Refine. Resubmit," Wrasse said in the post.
Democrats celebrate and say they will stop it again
Democrats have seized on the security request, accusing Republicans of
dedicating precious federal resources to the ballroom effort instead of
focusing on helping Americans with rising costs. Republicans have insisted that
private donations will be used to build the ballroom and that the federal
dollars are focused just on much-needed security enhancements.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took credit for the ruling
after Democrats argued to the parliamentarian that the security money doesn't
belong in the bill.
"Republicans tried to make taxpayers foot the bill for Trump's
billion-dollar ballroom," Schumer said Saturday evening. "Senate Democrats
fought back -- and blew up their first attempt."
Schumer added that Democrats "will be ready to stop them again" as
Republicans say they will revise the bill.
The ruling from the Senate parliamentarian is just advisory, but such
rulings are rarely if ever ignored when lawmakers put together legislation that
can pass with a simple majority. Most bills are subject to a filibuster and
thus need 60 votes for passage -- meaning Republicans must find some Democratic
support in the 53-47 Senate.
White House security money is part of a larger immigration bill
Republicans are looking to approve a roughly $72 billion package to fund
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection until the
end of Trump's term after Democrats have blocked the money for months.
As part of that package, Republicans included $1 billion for White House
security enhancements, part of it connected to Trump's new ballroom. The Secret
Service had requested the money after a man was charged with trying to
assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last
month.
The overall budget package is providing another boost of funding for Trump's
immigration and deportation agenda, fueling operations through September 2029.
It comes on top of ICE and Border Patrol funds Congress provided last year in
the big tax breaks bill Trump signed into law.
The parliamentarian kept most of the immigration portion of the legislation
intact, though some minor provisions were blocked, including Customs and Border
Patrol funds to hire, train and pay Border Patrol agents. Republicans said
those were only technical fixes.
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee,
said Saturday evening that "Democrats are prepared to challenge any change to
this bill."
Americans shouldn't spend "a single dime" on Trump's "Louis XIV-style
ballroom and throw tens of billions more at two lawless agencies," Merkley said.
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