House GOP Adds $1 Billion for Trump Ballroom Security to ICE Funding Bill

The government remains partially unfunded through the end of the fiscal year on September 30.

The House and Senate passed a bipartisan bill in late April to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security. It resembled the measure the Senate approved alone in late March, but the House delayed action until before a recent recess.

House Republicans now seek to bypass Democrats with a three-year bill for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. Democrats declined support without ICE reforms. Republicans plan to use budget reconciliation for this purpose, though the process takes time. Their target is passage by June 1.

Republican leaders first proposed a slim bill limited to ICE and Border Patrol. They expanded it to include $1 billion for President Trump's ballroom security following an assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Democrats attacked the addition. "Republicans say let them eat cake and demand American taxpayers build Trump a palace while they're at it," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. "These ‘ballroom Republicans’ have a constituency of one: Donald Trump's ego."

"The president just plowed down the East Wing of the White House. And it sits there as a gaping hole waiting to be filled. It was going to be his billionaire buddies filling it. Now it's the American taxpayers," Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said.

Senate Republican leaders at first wanted the bill to cover only Border Patrol and ICE. "While my personal preference is to put as much as you possibly can in this reconciliation vehicle, there may only be an appetite for Border Patrol or ICE," Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.) said.

The $1 billion addition prompted other Republicans to propose items. "I'd love to see the SAVE Act in some form or fashion," Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) said on Fox, referring to legislation requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

"There are a lot of good conservative wins that we can put forth for the American people," Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) said on Fox Business.

Some pro-life Republicans seek to extend a ban on funding for Planned Parenthood, set to expire later this year. "It's been a very thorny issue. It's all under negotiation right now," President Trump said.

Republicans charge Democrats with reviving calls to defund the police by opposing Border Patrol and ICE funds. Democrats cite a lack of ICE safeguards after winter events in Minnesota. "My Democrat colleagues refused to provide a single dollar for the men and women who protect our borders," Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said.

Funding fights for the Department of Homeland Security have intensified in recent years due to its mix of controversial areas. A bipartisan plan now aims to split it up permanently.

"It's just become too big. It's become too bureaucratic," Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said. He co-sponsors the bill to make the Federal Emergency Management Agency a cabinet-level department, place the Secret Service under the president directly, and move the Transportation Security Administration to the Department of Transportation.

Travelers faced issues during the 43-day government shutdown when the government did not pay TSA staff. The same occurred over winter and spring with DHS unfunded. Moskowitz said the split would limit shutdowns and protect travel from Washington gridlock. "The American people's travel cannot be held up in the political dysfunction of Washington," he said.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran met Senate Republicans Tuesday to justify the $1 billion request. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) expressed doubt afterward, calling for justifications and details beyond toplines.

Thune backed the request. "You've got a President with three assassination attempts just in the last two years. And obviously the money that's in there is about securing the building. And the Secret Service has a job to protect the president. We need to make sure they have the tools to do it," he said. Thune added that Curran laid out the case well.

Other lawmakers want more information. "I don't know if they're talking about infrastructure dollars or other kind of technology," Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio) said. "I need to see the details before I pass judgment on whether or not the request is reasonable."

Republicans aim to back the president without delaying ICE and Border Patrol funds. "Members are diving in a little bit. They want to understand how much of this is really related to security," Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) said. "Obviously, we have to keep the President and his guests safe. But when you're talking about $1 billion, members are going to ask a lot of questions. They're digging into details. I don't think we know exactly how this shakes out yet."

The Senate Budget Committee meets late next week to prepare its version. A vote-a-rama will follow around the clock. The Senate measure then goes to the House. Action will occur in the final days before the Memorial Day recess. President Trump set June 1 as the deadline.

The House shifted its schedule and skips votes until May 20. It may need to stay in Washington over Memorial Day weekend. Both chambers plan time off for the holiday week.

Passage would end fiscal year 2026 funding fights, sixteen months after committees heard from agencies last fall. Lawmakers must then begin work for the next cycle or face a shutdown on October 1.