Senate Republicans want to get $1 billion from the public to help with security changes and improvements connected to Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project.
This request is part of a bigger plan called a reconciliation bill that focuses on money for federal law enforcement and border security.
The plan was shared by Senator Chuck Grassley, who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Monday.
The bill also lets part of the $1 billion be used for security upgrades for the East Wing Modernization Project, also known as Trump’s ballroom project.
This would include both above-ground and below-ground security features.
This move comes after Trump and his supporters have pushed hard for the ballroom to be built, especially after the assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25.
The plan makes clear that the funds can’t be used for non-security parts of the East Wing Modernization Project.
The proposal outlines how to use money for the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security (DHS) through 2029.
It includes more than $30.7 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and nearly $3.5 billion for Customs and Border Protection, including money for training and hiring staff.
Trump insists the 90,000-square-foot ballroom is needed for better security.
He previously said the project, estimated at $400 million, would be paid for by private donors. The White House also noted in a statement from July 2025 that the Secret Service would handle any security changes needed for the ballroom for official events.
A federal judge ordered the construction of the ballroom to stop unless Congress approves it, as part of a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
However, an appeals court recently allowed construction to continue while the legal challenge is still ongoing.
Trump has complained that the lawsuit forced him to share details about a large military base built underneath the ballroom.
He said, “The military is building a big complex under the ballroom, which has come out recently because of a stupid lawsuit that was filed,” while on Air Force One in late March, showing large signs of how the finished ballroom might look.
He added, “The ballroom essentially becomes a shed for what’s being built under the military, including from drones, and including from any other thing.”
In a statement while releasing the reconciliation bill, Grassley said, “Republicans won’t allow our country to be dragged backward by Democrats’ radical, anti-law enforcement agenda.
“The Senate Judiciary Committee is taking action to help provide certainty for federal law enforcement and safer streets for American families.
We will work to ensure this critical funding gets signed into law without unnecessary delay.”
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