Democrat Proposes Redirecting $1 Billion From White House Renovation to Law Enforcement Programs

A Democratic senator is proposing to remove $1 billion in White House security funding designated for President Donald Trump’s ballroom and East Wing renovation from Republicans’ immigration enforcement funding package. The proposal would redirect that money to law enforcement programs, according to details first shared with Semafor.

The Nevada Democrat is introducing two amendments. One would allocate the $1 billion to fund two years of the COPS hiring program, which awards grants for hiring local law enforcement, as well as two years of funding for the Public Safety Officers’ Death Benefits program, which pays death benefits for fallen officers.

The other amendment would fund one year of the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant program for criminal justice initiatives. “The American people are suffering. These are taxpayer dollars, we do not need a billion-dollar ballroom,” the senator told Semafor on Tuesday.

Enough Republicans remain noncommittal on the $1 billion in funding to put the provision at risk in both chambers of Congress. One vulnerable incumbent Republican senator said he needed to learn more about the money and had been asked about the ballroom a dozen times on Tuesday by reporters.

Republicans can only lose three votes in the Senate to pass the bill.

Some Republicans also believe the Senate parliamentarian might strike down the provision as outside the bounds of budget reconciliation’s strict parliamentary rules. Such a ruling would remove the amendment from consideration. The senator said the caucus is beginning to discuss its tactics, which could include multiple amendments related to the ballroom funding.

Reconciliation bills allow unlimited amendments from either party. The minority can make passing the bill politically difficult by forcing repeated votes on the issue. “We’ll see what our strategy is. ” the senator said.

Republicans heard from the Secret Service director on Tuesday for details about the spending. The funding has drawn criticism from some Republicans in both chambers of Congress. At the same time, it is Police Week in Washington. Republicans have charged that by opposing the immigration enforcement bill, Democrats are taking a position against funding law enforcement.

“Apparently the need for law enforcement is not obvious to my Democrat colleagues. Because they’re right back to a ‘defund the police’ position,” the Senate majority leader said on Monday. The senator emphasized the alternative uses for the funds during Police Week.

“The most important thing is to talk about what that $1 billion will do. And there are so many things it could fund. This week is police appreciation week,” the senator said. “To keep qualified people trained on our streets, to keep our community safe?