Trump’s Ballroom Funding Could Be Scrapped By Senate Republicans—Voting Begins Today

BreakingBusinessTrump’s Ballroom Funding Could Be Scrapped By Senate Republicans—Voting Begins TodayBySara Dorn,Forbes Staff. Sara Dorn is a Forbes news reporter who covers politics.Follow AuthorMay 21, 2026, 10:46am EDTToplineThe Senate is expected to begin voting Thursday on the $72 billion immigration enforcement bill that was supposed to be a vehicle for $1 billion to help pay for President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project—but Republicans appear ready to omit the funding from the package. President Donald Trump talks to reporters about his proposed White House ballroom next to the worksite on May 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Senate parliamentarian ruled this week that taxpayer funds in the budget reconciliation package cannot be used for a $1 billion provision intended to fund security for Trump’s White House ballroom. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)Getty ImagesKey FactsSen. John Kennedy, R-La., told reporters Wednesday, “the security money has come out, and my understanding is it’s because the votes aren’t there.”Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also acknowledged there were a “couple snags” Republicans were trying to work out with the immigration enforcement bill, including “issues related to the East Wing modernization project.”At least five Republican senators—Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rand Paul, R-Ky.—have either said they won’t vote for the ballroom funding without more information or have expressed reservations about it. Portions of the bill were voted out of committee Wednesday and sent to the full chamber for a vote, but the ballroom funding was not included. 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....