Trump’s $1 Billion Ballroom Funding Faces First Vote Test Today—But These Republicans Could Block It

BreakingBusinessTrump’s $1 Billion Ballroom Funding Faces First Vote Test Today—But These Republicans Could Block ItBySara Dorn,Forbes Staff. Sara Dorn is a Forbes news reporter who covers politics.Follow AuthorMay 20, 2026, 10:34am EDTToplineSenators are expected to cast their first votes today on $1 billion in funding for President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project—but a small group of Republicans are threatening to block the package. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks during a news conference following a weekly policy luncheon with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol on May 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Getty ImagesKey FactsThe $1 billion was included as an earmark for the Secret Service in an immigration-enforcement package, with the White House saying the funds would be used for security enhancements in the East Wing modernization package.Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said he wouldn’t vote for the ballroom funding “for now,” citing the need for more information on why $1 billion was needed, telling Politico “they just kind of made that number up.”Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, have also expressed skepticism, while Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., also told fellow lawmakers earlier this week he wouldn’t vote for the broader immigration enforcement package if the ballroom funding is attached to it, Politico reported.Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has also said he’s against spending taxpayer dollars on the ballroom project, though he supports using private donations. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elements.video/player.js?cid=62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; script.setAttribute('defer', '1'); script.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript')...