Senate Republicans are abandoning a $1 billion proposal to fund security upgrades tied to a lavish White House ballroom renovation, backing down after fierce pushback from their own ranks over voter backlash fears.
Party leaders had attempted to tuck the ballroom project into a $70 billion bill restocking immigration and border patrol funding, a vehicle they hoped would sail through Congress before the Memorial Day recess. The political calculus unraveled quickly.
GOP lawmakers grew anxious that channeling taxpayer money toward Trump's East Wing modernization project would prove toxic with voters already squeezed by rising costs of living. With midterm elections looming in November, the risk of appearing tone-deaf outweighed any loyalty to the initiative.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune publicly acknowledged "ongoing vote issues" with the larger bill Wednesday as Republican leaders counted noses. Democrats seized the opening, pledging consecutive procedural votes designed to force Republicans onto the record supporting ballroom funding. That legislative pressure, combined with internal party resistance, tipped the scales.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate's top Democrat, mocked the Republicans' retreat Thursday, accusing them of trying to "sneak" the ballroom money into legislation. "The American people caught them red-handed, and now they're trying to drop that hot potato," he said.
The East Wing project has been contentious from the start. Trump demolished the historic wing last year to build what he describes as an unparalleled gilded ballroom. Public opinion consistently opposes it, and the venture faces ongoing litigation in federal court.
Trump defended the project during a construction site tour earlier this week, boasting that corporate donors are funding much of the work. "There will never be another building like this built, that I can tell you," he told reporters, calling it "a gift to the United States of America."
Author James Rodriguez: "Nothing kills a spending bill faster than bad optics six months before an election, and Republicans just proved they'll cut loose even a Trump priority to protect their seats."
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