Overview
- Republican-led Senate committees, which unveiled the roughly $70 billion immigration-enforcement package Monday night, included $1 billion for Secret Service work tied to the White House East Wing project.
- Committee leaders plan to advance the package after the recess with only Republican votes, using budget rules that can bypass a Senate filibuster.
- Legislative text limits the $1 billion to security adjustments and improvements, including underground and surface features, and bars spending on non-security elements.
- The White House endorsed the security funding, with spokesperson Davis Ingle citing the recent attempt on the president’s life at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
- Several Republicans, led by Sen. Lindsey Graham, are also seeking $400 million for the ballroom’s construction, conflicting with Trump’s repeated pledges of private funding as cost estimates have doubled to $400 million and the East Wing’s surprise demolition has raised oversight concerns.