Washington DC - President Donald Trump's ballroom has been dealt a blow after Senate Republicans removed $1 billion in funding for the Secret Service from their immigration enforcement bill.
"We were told that, and again, I haven't looked at the text, but we're told that the ballroom money is out," Louisiana GOP Senator John Kennedy told reporters on Wednesday after leaving a meeting with Republican senators.
According to Kennedy, too few GOP Senators were willing to spend $1 billion on the White House ballroom and its security features to successfully pass the bill already worth about $72 billion.
The decision to remove the funding follows a ruling by Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough that its inclusion broke rules on what could and could not be included in the bill.
Additionally, a number of GOP senators had publicly aired concerns that money which would have otherwise been dedicated to immigration operations was instead being spent on Trump's ballroom.
Senate Majority Leader Thune on Wednesday told reporters that the bill had hit "a couple snags" but that his team was trying to work out a viable solution.
"I think there are issues related to the East Wing modernization project," Thune said, pointing out that one of the key issues was whether the Secret Service would still need $780 million if the ballroom was out of the picture.
The ballroom project has been controversial from the start, kicking off with Trump abruptly bulldozing the East Wing of the White House last year.
Originally, Trump promised that it would be paid for entirely via private donations.
Since the attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, however, the administration is arguing that the expenditure is necessary for presidential security.