Overview
- Republican leaders moved to remove the roughly $1 billion Secret Service allocation from their $70–72 billion immigration reconciliation bill after they concluded they did not have enough GOP votes to pass it, a decision confirmed late Wednesday by multiple Senate Republicans.
- The Senate parliamentarian ruled the initial ballroom-related language violated reconciliation rules because it extended beyond the budget process’s limits, prompting leaders to rework or strip the East Wing security references to comply with the Byrd Rule.
- About $220 million of the original request was explicitly tied to security for the planned East Wing ballroom while the rest covered broader Secret Service needs such as a visitor screening center, training, and threat protections, but leaders said the ballroom element proved politically toxic.
- President Trump publicly pressed for the funding and attacked the parliamentarian, actions that intensified divisions inside the GOP and helped drive public objections from senators including Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Thom Tillis.
- Democrats have signaled plans to force amendment votes on the administration’s roughly $1.776 billion settlement or 'anti-weaponization' fund this week, a move that could further split Republicans and shape the final text and vote schedule for the immigration package.