Senate drops ballroom funding from reconciliation bill in blow to Trump

The Senate on Wednesday dealt a blow to President Donald Trump by removing funding for the planned White House ballroom from a reconciliation package to fund immigration enforcement.

The Secret Service had requested $1 billion in funding for the project, but that request faced scrutiny from the Senate parliamentarian and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., confirmed to reporters on Wednesday that the funding was out of the bill.

"We were told that the ballroom money is out," he said, according to Politico.

Trump has sought to build a state ballroom on the White House grounds, citing the lack of a state-owned space for formal events. The project has faced considerable legal and political scrutiny.

After an incident at a local hotel which hosted the White House Correspodents Association dinner this year saw a gunmen allegedly attempt to assassinate Trump, the White House renewed its political pressure on Congress to fund the project.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.