Senate GOP Border Package Includes White House Ballroom Funding

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee proposes $1 billion for security upgrades within the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and includes money for the White House ballroom.

Juliette Fairley

Published: 5/7/2026, 5:43:19 PM EDT

Senate GOP Border Package Includes White House Ballroom Funding — The U.S. Capitol building on April 29, 2026. (Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times)

Proposed allocations were announced this week as part of some $72 billion in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border ⁠Protection (CBP) financing.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee plans $1 billion for security upgrades within the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and includes funding for the White House ballroom.

The text of the package did not reveal the amount of Secret Service money that will be allocated for the ballroom.

President Donald Trump previously said private donations would pay for the ballroom project, which is expected to cost $400 million.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Judiciary Committee Democrats will fight the proposal, which was released on May 4.

“While Americans are struggling to make ends meet as a result of President Trump’s failed policies, Republicans are focused on providing tens of billions of dollars for the President’s vanity ballroom project and cruel mass deportation campaign,” Durbin said in a statement. “Republicans are in danger of losing control of Congress in November, so they are going outside the usual bipartisan appropriations process to fund these unpopular policies through the end of the Trump Administration.”

A 215–211 vote led to House approval of a budget reconciliation bill on April 30. Trump quickly signed the legislation the same day, which ended a 76-day partial government shutdown.

The Senate had already approved the funding measure on April 23.

Judiciary Committee chair Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) blamed Democrats for the shutdown and said the committee is helping to "provide certainty for federal law enforcement and safer streets for American families."

The proposal, released by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, includes $19 billion for CBP personnel and $7.5 billion for ICE's Homeland Security Investigations.

Some $31 billion is earmarked for immigration enforcement as well as funds for the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and border security and technology.

The focus on security adjustments and upgrades intensified after Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was accused on April 26 of attempting to assassinate Trump at the April 25 annual White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Allen was allegedly armed with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives when he breached security checkpoints outside the Washington Hilton ballroom where the event was taking place.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said the funding will “provide the United States Secret Service with the resources they need to fully and completely harden the White House complex in addition to the many other critical missions for the USSS.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.