Senator Elizabeth MacDononngh, the Senate's budget procedural arbiter, ruled Saturday that the proposed funding, as outlined in the spending bill, does not comply with Senate budget rules, according to a Democratic lawmaker.
Republicans sought to allocate $1 billion to the Secret Service for security enhancements related to the planned ballroom and other underground facilities, despite Trump's repeated claims the ballroom would be funded by $400 million in private donations.
Democrats sharply criticized the proposal, calling it an unnecessary luxury project while many Americans struggle with rising living costs, including soaring fuel prices. Trump, a former real estate developer, has promoted the project, calling it “the best building ever anywhere in the world.”
According to the office of Senator Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, MacDononngh determined that the security funding cannot pass under the fast-track budget procedure Republicans are using to avoid needing 60 votes in the Senate. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate majority, making it difficult to secure Democratic support if the ruling stands.
Merkley said Democrats will continue to oppose any Republican effort to rewrite rules to fit Senate procedures. The controversial funding is part of a $72 billion spending package focused on immigration enforcement, which Republicans hope to pass without Democratic support.
Democrats oppose additional funding for Trump’s immigration policies without broader reforms, especially after incidents in Minnesota in January where U.S. citizens died during operations involving federal personnel. Republicans argue the security funding is necessary to protect the president, citing an incident in April in Washington, D.C., when a gunman allegedly tried to enter a media event Trump attended.
Trump expects the ballroom to be completed by September 2028, near the end of his second term.
