Donald Trump’s plans for an upgraded presidential ballroom have suffered another setback after his $1 billion Secret Service funding proposal was blocked.
The spending plans were rejected as they failed to meet procedural rules, according to the Senate parliamentarian, whose job it is to enforce the Senate procedures.
Republicans had hoped to include plans for security upgrades to the White House as part of a larger bill focused on immigration enforcement agencies.
But the parliamentarian’s ruling late Saturday said that funding for a project as large and complex as the ballroom renovation is too broad to be included in the narrow GOP budget bill, which cannot be filibustered and only needs a simple majority to pass.
It is unclear if Republicans will be able to immediately salvage any part of the billion-dollar Secret Service proposal, which would fund security for Trump’s ballroom along with other parts of the White House, including a new visitor screening center, additional training for agents and extra reinforcements for large events.
Republicans said Saturday night that they are revising the legislation based on the parliamentarian’s advice.
Ryan Wrasse, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, wrote in a post on X that ‘none of this is abnormal.’
‘Redraft. Refine. Resubmit,’ Wrasse said in the post.
