Republicans scramble to preserve White House ballroom security funding

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

Congressional Republicans are scrambling to rewrite portions of their $72 billion budget reconciliation bill after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that a Trump administration wish list item violates procedural rules.

As currently written, the $1 billion earmarked for the U.S. Secret Service for security upgrades to the White House ballroom is noncompliant with the Byrd Rule, which forbids extraneous, non-budgetary provisions within a budget reconciliation bill.

If Republicans are unable to tweak the provision into compliance, it will lose its filibuster-proof privilege and certainly fail under the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.

The ballroom security funding makes up a tiny portion of the legislation, which provides three years of advance annual funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.

But it is also a high priority for President Donald Trump, who has argued that the recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner proves the need for a high-security White House venue.

Democrats have called the ballroom project a “boondoggle” and pledged to bring up dozens of amendments to the bill.

“While we expect Republicans to change this bill to appease Trump, Democrats are prepared to challenge any change to this bill,” Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., stated after the parliamentarian’s ruling Friday evening. “We cannot let Republicans waste our national treasure on a mission of chaos and corruption while turning a blind eye to the needs of the American people.”

Democrats have also criticized the legislation as a whole for its funding of immigration enforcement agencies outside of the regular annual appropriations process.

Using the budget reconciliation process to provide annual funding for government agencies is unprecedented. But Republicans felt it their only option after Senate Democrats blockaded immigration enforcement funding, triggering a 76-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump wants the budget reconciliation bill on his desk by June 1, meaning lawmakers will have to move quickly before they take a weeklong Memorial Day recess.

Assuming Republicans are able to successfully rewrite the ballroom security provision, the Senate Budget Committee will finalize the bill Wednesday and marathon voting on the chamber floor will begin Thursday.