Tillis Threatens to Tank $72B Border Package Over Trump Ballroom Funding
Sen. Thom Tillis and other Republicans oppose $1 billion for Trump's White House ballroom in the $72 billion ICE and Border Patrol reconciliation package.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., threatened to vote against the GOP's $72 billion reconciliation package for immigration operations if it includes $1 billion for Trump's White House ballroom project. His opposition could sink the bill that funds ICE and Border Patrol for the next three and a half years.
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The North Carolina Republican joins at least four other GOP senators expressing skepticism about the ballroom funding: John Curtis of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Rick Scott of Florida. With the party's narrow Senate majority, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., cannot afford Republican defections.
Secret Service Pitches Security Enhancements
Republicans received a briefing last week from Secret Service Director Sean Curran detailing the $1 billion request. The funding breaks down into three components: $220 million for "White House complex hardening," $180 million for a new visitor screening center, and $600 million for Secret Service training and enhanced protection.
The ballroom security enhancements would include bulletproof glass, drone detection technology, chemical filtration and detection systems, and what the administration calls "a host of other national security functions." The improvements would provide "above and below ground" protection for the president, his family, visitors, and "the below-ground, highest-level security functions," according to an itemized readout obtained by Fox News Digital.
The administration justified the expense by citing security needs following what sources described as a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, though details remain limited.
Parliamentary Rules Could Block Funding
Republicans may get an assist from Senate rules. The package must comply with the strict Byrd Rule to pass under budget reconciliation with a simple majority rather than the usual 60-vote threshold. Senate Democrats have pushed Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to strip the ballroom funding from the package for violating reconciliation rules.
The dispute threatens to derail what Republicans consider essential funding for border security operations. The ICE enforcement funding comes as the agency ramps up deportation operations nationwide.
The internal GOP fight reflects broader tensions over spending priorities as Republicans control both chambers of Congress. Some members question whether taxpayers should fund what critics see as a luxury project when border security faces urgent needs.
Watch for MacDonough's ruling on whether the ballroom funding violates reconciliation rules - a decision that could resolve the Republican standoff and salvage the broader immigration package.
