Senate Republicans weigh whether to swallow Trump’s $1B push for ballroom security

By Lauren Fox, Manu Raju, Sarah Ferris, Ellis Kim, CNN

(CNN) — Key Senate Republicans are signaling a willingness to support up to $1 billion in security upgrades for President Donald Trump’s ballroom renovation project, despite Democratic attacks, as the White House ramps up its lobbying push.

But the vote could put some of the Senate’s moderates in a politically difficult position, especially after the president said his ballroom would be funded through private donations.

“Obviously, there have been three or four attempts on the president’s life, and that’s extremely serious, and we’re in a heightened era of political violence, but the ballroom itself should be paid for by private donations, as the president had indicated,” Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins said, adding she wanted clarity on what precisely the money would be going toward.

But Senate Majority Leader John Thune projected confidence Monday that congressional Republicans will back the $1 billion in funding, arguing that the money will be focused on other Secret Service projects beyond the ballroom itself.

“It’s to secure the building — and not just the ballroom. I think the entire East Wing, which is something the Secret Service is tasked with protecting when the president is using it,” Thune told reporters. “It’s pretty clear it’s a tool to keep the president safe.”

The White House will ratchet up its push for the funding Tuesday with the US Secret Service director expected to join lawmakers at the Senate GOP lunch.

The issue is becoming the latest political flashpoint that Republicans must navigate as they attempt to get funding for federal immigration enforcement across the finish line on a party-line vote in Congress.

The push for as much as $1 billion in ballroom security funding – as part of a broader package that will include the immigration enforcement funding – was announced as lawmakers were away from Washington on a pre-scheduled recess and took some Republicans by surprise.

Inside the party, some House and Senate Republicans were unhappy the money was included, multiple sources told CNN, expressing concern that putting any money toward East Wing renovations, even if for security, would not go over well with voters worried about their own cost of living and could adversely affect competitive GOP races across the country this fall.

But other Republican senators have argued the project is essential and would benefit future Republican and Democratic presidents.

“Obviously, the [White House Correspondents’ Association] dinner made the case for why we need a secure ballroom,” Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis told CNN about her support for the project.

“It’s for all presidents now and in the future,” North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said.

Pressed on whether adding ballroom funding would endanger lawmakers’ ability to ultimately pass the package, which also includes funding for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and border patrol, Thune argued that it “fits nicely” in the bill.

“I think it fits nicely within a package that is built around, you know, basically, public safety, whether it’s at the border, on our – in our streets, in our neighborhoods, in our communities, and, in this case, it’s protecting the president,” he said.

“I support it. I think it makes sense, and I think it’s part of what it costs to protect the president of the United States in a very dangerous time, in a dangerous world.”

The Republican leader said later that the Secret Service director was expected to give his party “a comprehensive breakdown tomorrow” on how the money would be spent.

Yet multiple GOP senators said Monday evening – their first night back in Washington since the funding details were made public – that they were still awaiting more specifics from the administration before agreeing to put taxpayer dollars toward the renovation project.

Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul made clear he thought the entire ballroom should be funded privately.

“It isn’t what the president has asked. I mean, the president asked to be allowed to use private money, and I think we got to just stick with what he asked for,” Paul said when pressed about whether he’d support $1 billion for the project. “My preference is always no taxpayer money. And he can do it privately. That’s my preference.”

Some Republicans are also concerned by the optics of a $1 billion price tag — up from the $400 million proposed last month in separate legislation from South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and other Republicans for ballroom construction.

Democrats, for their part, plan to aggressively challenge the funding, including pushing to exclude it under the parliamentary rules that govern what can be included in the overall package.

“This staggering waste of taxpayer dollars has nothing, nothing to do with security and everything to do with Trump’s ego,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in remarks from the Senate floor Monday.

“The American people are calling out for help, but these ballroom Republicans have a constituency of one: Donald Trump’s ego. That is a disgrace. Democrats will use every tool in our arsenal to fight this bill,” he said.

Sen. Thom Tillis warned that Democrats will use the $1 billion in funding as a cudgel against Republicans in the midterms.

“If I’m in the Democratic marketing department, I’m probably thinking of a lot of ways I would use this on targeted senators that vote for it. Which is why I think … if I’m able to get to a yes, we certainly shouldn’t expect any members who are in any of these at-risk states to do it if they see the potential consequences,” the retiring North Carolina Republican argued. “I know how I would write the ad for doing this when we’re having $4-plus gas prices, those sorts of things.”

Tillis did not rule out backing the ballroom funding himself, telling reporters, “I got a lot of questions that got to be answered. You know, I’m going to ask basic questions on it — we’re supposed to get briefed this week. So stay tuned.”

The money included in the GOP bill is for “security adjustments and upgrades” to the East Wing, as part of Trump’s “modernization project.” The money is intended to “support enhancements” by the Secret Service but the legislative text does not provide details about what the funding will be used for, except that it could include both “above ground and below-ground security features.”

Republicans can still decide not to include the money. GOP leaders are aiming to move the broader package of immigration funding through its special filibuster-proof process later this month — and they may be forced to pull the funding altogether if moderates continue to complain.

One Senate panel, the Judiciary Committee, was set to take an initial step toward approving its portion of the broader funding measure on Tuesday morning – which would include that ballroom money – but the meeting was postponed, the committee announced Monday evening. (The panel’s chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley, told CNN Monday night that there were no legislative issues causing the delay.)

Republicans need nearly every member of their conference on board for their immigration funding package to survive the byzantine process known as reconciliation, which will allow the Senate to pass the measure without Democratic votes.

Paul, the Kentucky Republican in charge of the Senate’s Homeland Security panel, suggested the Senate’s parliamentarian may decide to just strip out the language: “I think that’s a possibility,” he said.

Pressed on the issue, Thune wouldn’t predict whether ballroom funding would survive the so-called Byrd bath, saying: “We’ll see.”

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CNN’s Morgan Rimmer and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.