Senate Republicans Divided on $1 Billion White House Ballroom Funding After Briefing

Senate Republicans remained divided after receiving a private briefing Tuesday on whether to allocate $1 billion in taxpayer funds for a White House ballroom project. Inside the closed-door lunch meeting, the Secret Service director briefed senators on the planned uses of the money.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters the session included a good back-and-forth discussion with many questions from colleagues seeking details on how the dollars would be spent. A memo circulated to senators and obtained by NBC News listed the proposed allocations: $220 million to harden the White House complex, $180 million for a visitors screening facility, $175 million for training and $175 million to enhance security for Secret Service protectees.

Sen. Roger Marshall said he still had more questions and that additional details would be sent, leaving him undecided. Sen. John Kennedy said he had a lot of questions for the White House about the spending plan. He identified adding to the deficit as one of the biggest concerns among Republicans.

The answers could determine the fate of a broader party-line bill to fund ICE and the Border Patrol. The ballroom funds are included in the measure that Republican leaders view as must-pass legislation.

They vowed not to fund immigration enforcement without accompanying policy restraints. Democrats have made the ballroom funding a focus of their opposition to the current bill. They plan to force votes on amendments to strip out or redirect the money.

Republicans can lose only three votes to protect the provision and pass the bill. A Washington Post-ABC poll taken in late April found 2-to-1 opposition to tearing down the White House East Wing to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.

Questions Over Private Funding Pledge Sen.

Rand Paul has said the project should be carried out with private funds as initially promised. Trump previously stated the ballroom project would cost $400 million and be funded entirely by private donations. Sen. Thom Tillis noted the timing and optics of the request were concerning.

He recalled that roughly a year earlier senators had been told the project would be paid for by donors, but the current figure is two and a half times larger. Three politically vulnerable Republican senators seeking re-election this year are being closely watched on the issue.

Sen. Susan Collins said her understanding was that the project was supposed to be paid for by private donations as the president had stated. A spokesperson for Sen. Dan Sullivan did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Sen. Jon Husted said he did not have any comment until he knew all the facts and that there were a lot of facts still to learn.

Procedural Questions Remain Sen.

Ron Johnson said there is some real security spending in the bill that he favors, though he added the measure could be more specific about how the money would be spent. The provision must also survive review by the Senate parliamentarian under budget rules required to pass the bill without 60 votes.

Thune predicted the provision would survive the procedural process. He said senators are already making arguments in front of the parliamentarian and that he is confident they will be in good shape. If the provision survives, Democrats would need at least four Republican votes to remove it from the bill.