Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times,
The Senate’s nonpartisan referee has rejected a bid by Republicans to fund $1 billion for the White House ballroom expansion and other White House security upgrades.
According to Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, the $1 billion proposal breaks the rules of the reconciliation process. As parliamentarian, MacDonough’s go-ahead is traditionally required to approve individual items passed under the partisan process.
Republicans are seeking to use the reconciliation process—which is not subject to the filibuster—to pass $72 billion in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection, which has been blocked by Democrats in the wake of fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by immigration agents. The GOP bill would fund the agencies through 2029, the end of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Trump has long pushed for the addition of a major ballroom to the East Wing of the White House, particularly in the wake of an alleged assassination attempt while attending an event away from the executive mansion.
The Secret Service had requested the money after the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month.
Republicans had pursued including this funding in an immigration enforcement funding package.
According to Democrats, MacDonough’s ruling holds that funding for a project as large as the proposed White House expansion is too broad to be included in the filibuster-proof bill.
It’s unclear which, if any, segments of the GOP proposal can be included in the final funding bill.
The parliamentarian left the bulk of the bill’s immigration language intact, barring some minor provisions such as the one providing funding for Customs and Border Protection to hire, train, and pay agents. Republicans have indicated that these sections can be revised and retained in the legislation.
A model of the White House and proposed ballroom (R) is displayed during a ballroom fundraising dinner with President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 15, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Technically, Republicans can ignore MacDonough’s rulings, which are ultimately considered advisory; however, respect for the parliamentarian’s authority is so deeply embedded in the upper chamber’s culture that this rarely happens.
Ignoring or overriding a ruling on a budget reconciliation bill would set a precedent that could deeply weaken the filibuster, an eventuality that members of both parties have long wished to avoid.
In 2021, after the Senate parliamentarian rejected a bid by Democrats to include a $15 minimum wage in a reconciliation package, some Democrats called for the ruling to be overturned; however, these calls were ultimately rejected.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) speaks to members of the press in Washington on April 14, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) wrote in a post on X that “none of this is abnormal” during the complicated budget process that Republicans are using to try to pass the immigration enforcement and White House security money on a partisan basis.
“Redraft. Refine. Resubmit,” Wrasse said in the post.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) framed the ruling as a win for Democrats.
“Republicans tried to make taxpayers foot the bill for Trump’s billion-dollar ballroom. Senate Democrats fought back — and blew up their first attempt,” Schumer wrote in a May 17 post on X.
“Americans don’t want a ballroom. They don’t need a ballroom. And they sure as hell should not be forced to pay for one,” Schumer added, vowing that Democrats would continue to seek to block funding for the White House expansion.