Senate Republicans are expected to delete some or all of the extra Secret Service security funding — including for President Donald Trump’s East Wing ballroom renovation — from their party-line immigration bill, which could pass within days, according to senators and aides.
The reason: GOP opposition to one of Trump’s top priorities.
“My understanding is it’s all out,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., after a two-hour party meeting Wednesday.
“My understanding is it’s because the votes aren’t there.” Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, told Semafor that her “preference is that we should go back to” funding just Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.
Democrats had planned to target the ballroom with their amendments, but now they may shift to targeting Trump’s $1.8 billion fund of taxpayer money for his political allies.
And it won’t speed things up: The Senate’s unlimited vote-a-rama on its immigration plan isn’t expected until tomorrow night.