NTT PR – Republican efforts to include federal security funds for United States (US) President Donald Trump’s controversial ballroom project in the White House have been dealt a blow.
The legal counsel (parliamentarian) of the United States Senate, Elizabeth MacDonough, ruled that the budget provisions were inconsistent with the legislative chamber’s procedural rules.
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The decision, which was announced last Saturday, May 16 2026 evening local time, immediately destroyed the Republican faction’s plan to pass a security budget package worth US$ 1 billion, part of which was allocated to finance the security of this magnificent structure through a simple majority voting mechanism.
Under Senate rules, such a provision would require at least 60 votes to pass, a difficult threshold to reach given the Republican makeup of the seat currently stands at 53-47.
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This legislative dispute stems from plans to build a 90,000 square foot ballroom in the East Wing area of the White House.
From the start, President Trump emphasized that the physical construction costs, which were estimated at US$400 million, would come entirely from private donations. However, internal documents show that there is a proposed additional federal budget to support the Secret Service’s operational and protection infrastructure around the new facility.
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The White House and Republican representatives argued that modernizing the security system was urgent to ensure the president’s safety.
They pointed to a security incident last month, when an armed man tried to break into a formal-dress media gala in Washington attended by Trump. However, the Democratic faction in the Senate immediately took substantive legal steps to block the proposal.
It is known that this allocation of funds is a form of waste of the state budget in the midst of a domestic economic situation which is facing pressure on the cost of living and rising energy prices due to geopolitical conflicts.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate parliamentarian’s decision was a victory for taxpayers.
“Senate Democrats fought back and succeeded in thwarting their first attempt,” Schumer said in his official statement on Saturday evening, as reported by The Washington Post and requoted by PR NTT. That the Democrats will always be ready to block it back if they try to put it in again.
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On the other hand, representatives of the Republican Party stated that they would not immediately give up. A number of senators from the budget committee are reportedly reviewing the draft legislation to carry out technical revisions so that it meets the regulatory corridors set by Senate parliamentarians.
If this adjustment effort fails, the special security budget will certainly be removed from the US$72 billion state spending package which is mostly allocated for immigration law enforcement and border security.
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The development project continues to generate sharp polarization in Washington. Critics from historical preservation organizations previously filed a lawsuit over the demolition of part of the historic area of the White House.
Meanwhile, the administration insists that this new facility is designed to replace the temporary outdoor tent structure that has been used to welcome large-scale state guests.***
