Senate advances funding bill after Republicans cut $1bn for White House ballroom
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- Senators voted 53-45 to advance legislation funding agencies like ICE and Border Patrol, with debate and amendments expected before a final vote, potentially extending into Thursday.
- The $1 billion initially intended for US Secret Service security upgrades related to a new Trump hotel ballroom was stripped from the immigration bill, marking a setback to Trump's plans to host official state functions there.
- Democrats oppose Trump's proposed massive ballroom on the site of the demolished White House East Wing, and the funding removal reflects this opposition, though the impact on the construction is uncertain.
- Progress on the bill was delayed due to Republican objections to a proposed $1.8 billion Department of Justice "anti-weaponisation fund," which critics claimed was a slush fund benefiting Trump's allies and Capitol rioters.
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified that the DOJ is dropping plans for the fund but refused to provide a written confirmation, further complicating the bill's passage.