Washington DC - Senate Republicans want to spend about $1 billion to help fund the Secret Service and security for President Donald Trump's lavish White House ballroom project.
The huge funding boost would come as part of a GOP-led $70 billion funding package meant primarily for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
Specifically, the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees want to provide ICE with $38 billion and CBP with $26 billion in additional spending.
According to a new Republican proposal, the $1 billion boost will be used "for the purposes of security adjustments and upgrades, including within the perimeter fence of the White House Compound."
It will "support enhancements by the United States Secret Service relating to the East Wing Modernization Project [the ballroom], including above-ground and below-ground security features."
The proposal stipulates that "none of the funds made available… may be used for non-security elements" of the ballroom project.
Since a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner nearly two weeks ago, Trump and his administration have used the incident to increasingly backtrack on promises that no taxpayer money would be used on the ballroom.
MAGA escalates demands for Trump's ballroom
Last week, MAGA loyalist South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham insisted that the shooting made it necessary to authorize $400 million of congressional spending, under the guise of security.
In a statement to CNN, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle doubled down on the claim, saying that "Congress has rightly recognized the need for these funds… due in part to the recent assassination attempt on President Trump."
House Judiciary Democrats responded to the proposal on X, calling the funding plan "absurd" and pointing out that "Congress never authorized Trump’s ridiculous Marie Antoinette ballroom."