Trump's ballroom loses proposed Republican budget funding
Kyiv • UNN
The US Senate has banned the use of budget funds to finance security for Trump's ballroom. Democrats successfully challenged the allocation of one billion dollars.
In the US, an official rejected a proposal to allocate security funds for US President Donald Trump's White House ballroom renovation project from a proposed spending package, marking a victory for Democrats, BBC reports, according to UNN.
Details
On Saturday, the Senate Parliamentarian, who is responsible for the rules, ruled against using taxpayer funds in the bill after Democrats argued that security money should not be included there.
Trump stated that private donors would fund the $400 million ballroom, even as Republicans sought to use part of $1 billion in taxpayer funds for Secret Service security upgrades.
Republicans are seeking funds to bolster the US President's security following a shooting at a gala Trump attended in April at a hotel. The administration also attempted to fast-track the project after the incident.
Republicans, who hold the majority in the Senate, used complex budget rules known as the budget reconciliation process to try to pass bills without Democratic support.
Their latest massive funding package for immigration agencies under the US Department of Homeland Security also includes a $1 billion provision for security funds intended for the overhaul of the White House East Wing, which includes Trump's plans for the ballroom.
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who has served as the arbiter in the upper house of the US Congress since 2012, ruled the provision inappropriate on Saturday, Democrats said.
She determined that the provision funds activities outside the jurisdiction of the Senate Judiciary Committee and does not comply with the procedure that prevents extraneous non-budgetary provisions, known as the Byrd Rule.