{"id":677,"date":"2026-05-21T16:03:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T16:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=677"},"modified":"2026-05-21T16:03:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T16:03:13","slug":"republicans-expected-to-abandon-1b-security-proposal-for-white-house-and-trumps-ballroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=677","title":{"rendered":"Republicans expected to abandon $1B security proposal for White House and Trump\u2019s ballroom"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By MARY CLARE JALONICK, KEVIN FREKING and JOEY CAPPELLETTI<\/strong><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Senate Republican leaders on Thursday are expected to abandon a proposal for $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and\u00a0President Donald Trump\u2019s ballroom\u00a0amid backlash from members of their own party.<\/p>

Read more Colorado weather: Golf ball-sized hail, damaging winds forecast east of Denver International Airport<\/a><\/p>\n

Pressured by the White House, Republicans tried to add the money to a roughly\u00a0$70 billion bill\u00a0to restore funding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. But the security proposal met with opposition from some GOP lawmakers who are questioning the timing of the request, the cost and how the taxpayer dollars would be used.<\/p>\n

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged \u201congoing vote issues\u201d on Wednesday as leaders tried to measure Republican support and figure out what will be allowed in the bill under the chamber\u2019s rules.<\/p>\n

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told reporters Wednesday that the bill was \u201cback to square one\u201d without the security money because \u201cthe votes are not there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thune hopes to pass the bill this week and send it to the House before leaving for a weeklong Memorial Day recess. But the bill\u2019s text has still not been released as leaders were wrangling over the security proposal and new GOP concerns over the Trump administration\u2019s\u00a0$1.776 billion settlement fund.<\/p>\n

Republican senators were set to meet with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday as they finalized the text and decided whether to put parameters on the settlement, which was designed to compensate Trump\u2019s allies who believe they have been politically persecuted. Thune told reporters that senators have questions about the fund and want to know \u201chow we might make sure that it\u2019s fenced in appropriately.\u201d<\/p>\n

The last-minute scramble comes as Democrats have criticized Republicans for trying to fund Trump\u2019s ballroom when voters are concerned about basic affordability issues \u2014 and as some GOP lawmakers have grown increasingly frustrated with Trump. Several GOP senators have spoken out against the settlement, which was announced this week, and many were upset by the president\u2019s\u00a0endorsement Tuesday of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton\u00a0in the party primary runoff next week against Sen. John Cornyn.<\/p>

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