A Republican plan to allocate federal funding for the construction of a ballroom planned by President Donald Trump has hit at least a temporary roadblock in the U.S. Senate.
Points of attention
- Democratic senators oppose allocating federal funds for President Trump's new ballroom construction, citing concerns about budget rules compliance.
- Senate Republican leaders and the White House seek funding for the ballroom under the guise of security measures, amid rising costs and controversy.
Funding for Trump's new ballroom remains in question
According to Democratic senators, House Speaker Elizabeth McDonough, who advises senators on the chamber's complex procedural rules, concluded that these expenditures did not comply with Senate budget rules.
Republicans tried to force taxpayers to pay for Trump's billion-dollar ballroom. Democratic senators fought back — and thwarted their first attempt, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
At the same time, Republicans intend to rework the bill to bring it into line with the rules.
In turn, the Democrats stated that they would continue to fight against this project.
"The American people should not spend a cent on this senseless project to build a gilded ballroom for Trump," said Senator Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee.
Senate Republican leaders and the White House sought to include $1 billion for security upgrades for the East Wing construction project in a party-wide budget bill that was otherwise narrowly focused on funding immigration enforcement efforts.
This week, the administration told Republicans that $220 million of that money would go toward securing the new East Wing, with the rest going toward other security measures.
Republican leaders and the White House say the new ballroom is needed to protect the president after a gunman was arrested after trying to enter the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
While Republicans could try to rewrite their bill to assuage McDonough's concerns and preserve funding for the ballroom, it's not clear whether the bill has enough Republican support to pass the House or Senate.
The cost of the ballroom has steadily increased, from $200 million to Trump's latest estimate of $400 million. Trump initially claimed the project would "not interfere with the current building," and then demolished the entire east wing.
On April 1, a US court ordered a halt to construction of the ballroom, and a few days later the federal planning commission approved Trump's plans, stating that the federal court's decision to halt construction did not affect the review process.
