Democrats scored a victory on Saturday when a Senate official removed security funding from President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project, part of a larger spending package that American taxpayers would likely cover.
What did the Senate parliamentarian say about taxpayer funding for Trump’s ballroom security?
The Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, a nonpartisan expert who advises the presiding officer, chamber and senators on rules, procedures and precedents, said the Trump administration and Senate Republicans could not use federal funding for security purposes related to the project, according to the BBC and The Guardian.
Trump stated that private donors would fund the $400 million ballroom. However, Senate Republicans have sought to use a portion of $1 billion in taxpayer funding for Secret Service upgrades. The decision is partly in response to the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner held at the Washington Hilton hotel, which Trump had attended.
Following the incident, Republicans aimed to pass a bill to increase Trump’s safety. However, MacDonough, who has been part of the U.S. Congress since 2012, ruled against those plans. She determined that the provision funds activities beyond the jurisdiction of the Senate Judiciary Committee and does not comply with the Byrd rule. This procedure prevents extraneous non-budgetary provisions, per the BBC.
Will Senate Republicans get the bill passed?
Republicans, who hold a Senate majority, have used complex rules to pass legislation without Democrats’ support. They may revise the bill to secure the parliamentarian’s approval; otherwise, they will lose the $1 billion in funding for the ballroom that was included in the $72 billion spending package, per the BBC and The Guardian.
They will bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote, with Democrats likely to oppose it. Democrats have also voted against the Trump administration’s nationwide crackdown on immigration, with two U.S. citizens, Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, being shot and killed by ICE in Minnesota in January, per The Guardian.
On Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and called out the Trump administration and Republicans for wanting taxpayers to fund the ballroom, while praising Democrats for opposing it, according to the BBC and The Guardian.
“Republicans tried to make taxpayers foot the bill for Trump’s billion-dollar ballroom. Senate Democrats fought back — and blew up their first attempt,” Schumer wrote.
“Now Ballroom Republicans say they’re going back to the drawing board to try again. And Senate Democrats will be ready to stop them again.”
Schumer added, “Americans don’t want a ballroom. They don’t need a ballroom. And they sure as hell should not be forced to pay for one.”
When did Trump announce his ballroom project?
Trump has been planning the ballroom since early last year. In October, he began demolishing the White House’s East Wing. He discussed the project and his goal of transforming it into a “beautiful” masterpiece, Blavity previously reported
“I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom,” Trump posted on social media at the time, according to CNN. “Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!”
During a dinner with donors, Trump also made comparisons between the impending ballroom and the White House.
“There won’t be anything like it, actually. You know, a new thing is you build a super modern building next to an old-fashioned building, and I think that’s good, but I don’t have the courage to do that with the White House,” Trump said at a recent dinner with donors, per CNN.