Senate Parliamentarian Blocks $1B White House Security Funding Proposal

A proposal to allocate $1 billion for security upgrades at the White House campus and a planned presidential ballroom has failed to meet Senate procedural rules, according to the Senate parliamentarian, dealing a setback to Republican efforts to include the funding in a broader budget package.

The White House complex in Washington, D.C., where proposed security upgrades and a new presidential ballroom have become part of a political dispute.

According to an Associated Press (AP) report by Mary Clare Jalonick and Kevin Freking, the funding proposal was intended to be part of Republican legislation aimed at financing immigration enforcement agencies over the next three years.

The parliamentarian ruled that a project as large and complex as President Donald Trump’s proposed East Wing renovation and ballroom-related security enhancements was too broad to qualify under the narrow rules governing the Republican budget bill, which can pass the Senate with a simple majority and avoid a filibuster.

It remains unclear whether Republicans can revise or salvage parts of the proposal, which included funding for Secret Service security enhancements, a new visitor screening center, additional training for agents and reinforcements for large-scale events, according to a separate AP report by Lisa Mascaro.

Republicans said Saturday that they are revising the legislation.

John Thune spokesperson Ryan Wrasse said on X that procedural revisions are routine during the budget process.

“Redraft. Refine. Resubmit,” Wrasse wrote.

Democrats criticized the proposal, arguing that federal resources should instead focus on helping Americans cope with rising costs. Republicans, meanwhile, said private donations would fund the ballroom itself and that federal dollars would be used only for security improvements.