Senate Republicans are advancing party-line legislation that would inject billions of dollars into immigration enforcement and border security.
But complicating the debate is a disagreement over funding for “security adjustments and upgrades” that Democrat critics claim, despite the White House’s and Republicans’ denial, would fund President Donald Trump’s East Wing ballroom project.
The House and Senate have already passed a framework allowing for the process of budget reconciliation, which will allow for major budgetary changes without needing any Democrat votes in the Senate.
The bill would fund immigration enforcement outside the typical bipartisan process for the remainder of Trump’s term.
Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a more detailed proposal for the bill, which includes $1 billion for Secret Service security upgrades, some of which would be inside the “White House Compound to support enhancements … relating to the East Wing Modernization Project.”
The “East Wing Modernization Project” refers to the proposed construction of a ballroom on the White House premises, which the White House has previously said it will carry out with $200 million from Trump private donors, with the Secret Service providing “the necessary security enhancements and modifications.”
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A White House official told The Daily Signal the funds from the reconciliation bill would go solely to security, and the ballroom would still be funded by private donors.
Democrats have been quick to pounce, accusing Republicans of attempting to use taxpayer funds to support Trump’s ballroom project.
“The budget reconciliation bill presented by Republicans in the Senate this week requires a billion dollars for this ‘Great Gatsby’ ballroom that the president wants to see,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said on the Senate floor Monday.
“I think that’s a horrendous waste of time and money,” Durbin continued, arguing the burden has shifted from Trump’s “billionaire buddies” to “American taxpayers.”
But some Senate Republicans argue the funding is solely security-related.
“Serious legislating requires basic reading,” an account representing Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote on X. “The bill funds Secret Service enhancements, not ballroom construction.”
The bill text includes a prohibition on funds for “non-security elements” at the White House.
Additionally, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin penned a letter last week to congressional leaders stressing the funding would “address urgent needs in response to the unprecedented increase in threats against the President and other public officials.”
Concerns about the funding are not limited to just Democrats, however.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Monday that there are “a lot of questions” surrounding the billion dollars and that he is “for still doing it with the private donations.”
As part of the reconciliation process, the provision will likely have to undergo the “Byrd bath,” under which the Senate parliamentarian—essentially the chamber’s referee—will decide whether the provision is too narrowly focused or policy-oriented to qualify for reconciliation.
Paul says he has his doubts the provision can remain in the bill, mentioning the Byrd bath, as well as the possibility of it being removed by the committee.
“I don’t think it will be in [the bill], is what my guess is,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who has said the funding would be security-focused, has said the Byrd bath is an “unpredictable process” when asked if he believes the provision can remain.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has promised Democrats will use “every tool in our arsenal to fight this bill,” objecting to both the east wing funding and the immigration enforcement funding without restraints on deportation operations.
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