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The $1 billion line item in a party-line bill otherwise focused on immigration enforcement is causing political heartburn.
Senate Homeland Security Chair Rand Paul (R-Ky.) speaks with reporters after the confirmation hearing of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, nominee for Homeland Security Secretary, on Capitol Hill, March 18, 2026. | Francis Chung/POLITICO
President Donald Trump and his deputies have a major sales job ahead of them on Capitol Hill as multiple GOP lawmakers questioned a proposed $1 billion in Secret Service security spending that could be used at least in part for Trump’s controversial White House ballroom project.
The provision, which gives $1 billion to the Secret Service for “security adjustments and upgrades,” has threatened to overshadow what Republicans wanted to make the main focus of the package — tens of billions of dollars in new immigration enforcement funding. But the White House and many lawmakers argue the funding is necessary after the shooting at last month’s White House Correspondents Dinner.
