Senate GOP set to drop $1bn Trump ballroom funding after backlash

Senate Republican leaders are expected to abandon a $1 billion proposal for security measures tied to Donald Trump’s White House ballroom following a backlash from members of their own party.

Under pressure from Trump, top Republican lawmakers attempted to attach the proposal to an approximately $70 billion bill aimed at restoring funding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the border patrol.

But the plan triggered intense unease among congressional Republicans, who feared that diverting taxpayer dollars toward Trump’s “East Wing modernization project” amid rising cost of living concerns across the U.S. would risk alienating voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Senate Democrats pledged to oppose the funding for Trump’s ballroom and push “vote after vote” in an effort to force Republicans to publicly endorse it.

Republican John Thune, the U.S. Senate majority leader, acknowledged “ongoing vote issues” with the broader bill on Wednesday as party leaders attempt to gauge support. They hope to pass the bill this week and send it to the House of Representatives before departing for a week-long recess around the Memorial Day holiday.

Addressing reporters on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Chuck Schumer, the U.S. Senate’s top Democrat, accused Republicans of trying to “sneak” ballroom funding into the bill. “The American people caught them red-handed, and now they’re trying to drop that hot potato,” he said.

The East Wing of the White House was reduced to rubble last year to make way for Trump’s plan for a gilded ballroom. Polling has indicated that most Americans oppose the controversial project, which remains embroiled in litigation in federal court.

“There will never be another building like this built, that I can tell you,” the U.S. president told reporters on a tour of the construction site earlier this week. Touting a string of corporate donors providing funds, he insisted: “This is a gift to the United States of America.”

The Associated Press contributed reporting.