Ballroom Security Funds Give Democrats New Affordability Target

Senate Republicans’ new bill funding security elements of President Donald Trump’s ballroom project is drawing swift criticism from Democrats.

A pair of Senate committees released budget legislation Monday night that would provide billions over the next three years for immigration enforcement, as well as $1 billion for the Secret Service to use for security upgrades to Trump’s East Wing construction. Democrats — who were already planning to target the bill for not addressing rising costs — are now connecting the ballroom funding to their affordability agenda.

“While Americans are struggling to make ends meet as a result of President Trump’s failed policies, Republicans are focused on providing tens of billions of dollars for the President’s vanity ballroom project and cruel mass deportation campaign,” said Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The GOP push to provide security enhancements for the ballroom comes after a gunman rushed through a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton, where Trump and other top officials were in attendance.

The minority will get another chance to force politically challenging votes on the Senate floor as Republicans move forward in the partisan reconciliation process during the next vote-a-rama, where Democrats are likely to home in on costs and the ballroom. The Senate returns from recess next week and will have to move quickly to meet Trump’s goal of getting the bill to his desk by June 1.

“Now everyone gets an up or down vote on the ballroom,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said on X. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, said Democrats will review each line of the text to prepare challenges and show through the process that they are focused on costs.

“Republicans are ignoring the needs of middle-class America and instead funneling money into Trump’s ballroom and throwing billions at two lawless agencies,” Merkley said.

During the previous vote-a-rama, Democrats focused on forcing a series of votes on affordability and rising costs. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) previewed that more of those votes will be coming for the next marathon voting session.

“Democrats will make sure Republicans face more votes on affordability when reconciliation comes back up,” Schumer said last week.

Security Enhancements

Trump has said the ballroom — which has been ensnared in a litigation fight — will be privately financed, but the correspondents dinner incident spurred Republicans to pitch different proposals for ballroom authorization and appropriations out of safety concerns. The White House has previously said that the Secret Service would provide the needed security enhancements.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has been pushing for ballroom funding, previously told reporters that underneath the ballroom there would “a lot of military stuff, there will be a Secret Service annex.”

Hannah Akey, a spokesperson for the Judiciary Committee, said the bill doesn’t fund ballroom construction, “it provides funds for Secret Service enhancements, including, but not limited to security enhancements related to the East Wing Modernization Project.”

“This necessary funding will ensure all presidents, their families and their staffs are adequately protected,” Akey said.

Republican leadership is expected to focus on the need to provide immigration enforcement funding after the lengthy shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said they would work to “ensure this critical funding gets signed into law without unnecessary delay.”