politics
Republicans Add $1B for White House East Wing Secret Service Upgrades to $70B ICE and Border Enforcement Bill
The funding request comes one day before President Trump defended his ballroom project on Wednesday, despite his repeated statements that it would cost less than half of $1 billion and be funded by private donations. The proposal forms part of a partisan plan introduced after last week's bipartisan vote to end the longest U.S. government shutdown in history.
May 6, 7:24 PM·2m read3 sources
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Republicans in Congress proposed $1 billion in funding for security for President Trump's White House ballroom as part of an approximately $70 billion party-line plan to fund ICE and CBP. U.S. history and fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Democrats had refused to back immigration enforcement funding without reforms after federal agents killed two American citizens earlier this year. More than $60 billion of the Republican plan is devoted to immigration enforcement efforts. That comes after CBP and ICE received $75 billion from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year.
5 billion for the Department of Justice operations, including terrorism investigations and prosecutions, as well as Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI work. The bill contains $1 billion for the Secret Service for security infrastructure related to President Trump's White House ballroom project.
According to the bill text, the funds may not be used for any non-security elements of the project.
The administration says the ballroom project is being funded through private donations. "The White House applauds Congress's latest proposal in its reconciliation package which includes additional funding for security infrastructure upgrades in relation to the long overdue East Wing Modernization Project," White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement.
" Construction cranes are seen, from the Washington Monument, on the site of the former East Wing of the White House.
The East Wing of the White House was torn down. After having the East Wing torn down, President Trump said a ballroom would be entirely funded by private donations. President Trump defended his White House ballroom project on Wednesday.
Republican lawmakers proposed $1 billion in taxpayer funding for the buildout one day before Trump defended the project. Trump said repeatedly the ballroom project would cost less than half of $1 billion and be funded with private donations. President Trump has asked congressional Republicans to have the funding on his desk for a signature by June 1.
