Senate Republicans expected to ditch $1bn funding plan for Trump’s ballroom

Top Republicans fear diverting taxpayer dollars toward the White House ballroom will alienate voters before midterms

Senate Republican leaders are expected to ditch a $1bn proposal for security measures tied to Donald Trump’s White House ballroom following a backlash from members of their own party.

Under pressure from Trump, top Republican lawmakers tried to latch the proposal on to a roughly $70bn bill to restore funding to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the border patrol.