Senate GOP Proposes $72 Billion for Immigration Crackdown and Trump’s Security-Heavy Ballroom

Senate Republicans are throwing down a jaw-dropping $72 billion proposal aimed at supercharging immigration enforcement, with a staggering $1 billion of that cash set aside for security enhancements in President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom.

Unveiled Monday, the funding bills are a multi-billion-dollar bonanza primarily designed to fuel Trump’s immigration agenda. Lawmakers are eyeing a hefty $38.2 billion for ICE, intended to cover hiring and training of officers, maintaining facilities, and ramping up deportations through 2029.

But that’s not all—another $25.4 billion is destined for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, while $5 billion is allocated to the Homeland Security secretary for various initiatives, and $1.5 billion is tagged for the Justice Department.

Sandwiched between the DHS and DOJ funding is that eye-popping $1 billion earmarked for the Secret Service, specifically for security upgrades related to the ballroom. Talk about priorities!

Trump’s camp insists that this ballroom construction is crucial for national security, claiming it includes an underground bunker. This argument has been the backbone of their legal strategy to push forward with construction without needing Congress’s green light.

Despite Trump’s earlier claims that taxpayers wouldn’t foot the bill for the $400 million ballroom extension, this new spending bill directly allocates taxpayer dollars for security-related construction. The bill explicitly states that the $1 billion cannot be diverted to non-security purposes.

“Congress has rightly recognized the need for these funds,” White House Spokesperson Davis Ingle declared, praising Congress’s latest move.

If this funding passes, it could add roughly $72 billion to the federal deficit over the next decade, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer didn’t hold back his disdain for the proposed funding bill. “This was all preventable if Republicans had voted with us to extend the ACA tax credits,” he blasted on social media. “Instead, we’re looking at $1 billion per day for an aimless war and another $1 billion for a White House ballroom. A stark contrast: Republicans cater to Trump’s whims; Democrats fight to lower your health care costs.”

Senator Mark Warner, leading the Senate Intelligence Committee, slammed Trump for prioritizing a ballroom over everyday Americans. “Trump has slashed health care, shuttered doctors' offices, and fired thousands… but wants $1 billion for a ballroom and tens of billions more for a forever war,” he fumed.

The funding bills could sail through quickly as they are reconciliations to a larger DHS funding bill passed last week to reopen the department after a 75-day partial shutdown.

DHS funding ran dry in February when Democrats refused to back funding that would support immigration enforcement following federal agents’ fatal operations in Minnesota that killed two U.S. citizens.

Last week, House Republicans voted on legislation to reopen DHS by funding most agencies except ICE and Customs and Border Protection, which focus heavily on immigration enforcement. Now, however, Republicans can push these bills through with a simple majority, sidestepping any need for Democratic support.

Originally focused solely on immigration enforcement, lawmakers made an eyebrow-raising exception to include funding for Trump’s ballroom. The recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has reignited the administration's push for this ballroom, citing broad security concerns as justification.