Does Grassley’s spending bill give Trump $1 billion for the White House ballroom?

The Judiciary Republican’s proposed reconciliation bill text outlines funding for Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, general Department of Homeland Security initiatives, the Department of Justice, and the Secret Service.

Under the Secret Service section, the proposed title allocates $1 billion for “security adjustments and upgrades, including within the perimeter fence of the White House Compound to support enhancements by the United States Secret Service relating to the East Wing Modernization Project.” The funding, which would be available until Sept. 30, 2029, says the enhancements include “above-ground and below-ground security features” of the ballroom.

“This bill does not fund ballroom construction,” a spokesperson for the Senate Judiciary Committee told the Washington Examiner. “It provides funds for Secret Service enhancements, including, but not limited to security enhancements related to the East Wing Modernization Project. This necessary funding will ensure all presidents, their families and their staffs are adequately protected.”

As part of the ballroom project, Trump has said there will be an underground bunker built into the complex, presumably the “below-ground” security elements Grassley’s proposal refers to.

The text also includes a specific limitation to the funding, which reads, “None of the funds made available under this section may be used for non-security elements of the East Wing Modernization Project.” The limitation, as written, means that the funding can only go toward Secret Service security features of the project and not “non-security elements.”

But Democrats have raised concerns over the funding allocation, with ranking member Dick Durbin (D-IL) calling it a “misguided partisan effort” that “will do nothing to help Americans deal with rising prices for gas, food, housing, and health care” in a statement.

“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.

The conversation around the ballroom’s proposed security details reignited after the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, when a gunman was stopped by law enforcement before carrying out a suspected third assassination attempt on Trump.

“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post after the dinner.

TRUMP SPURNS ALLIES AND SIDES WITH RAND PAUL ON WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM BILL

At least half a dozen bills have been introduced in Congress related to the ballroom since the WHCA dinner in late April. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced a bill that would fast-track construction of the ballroom while maintaining private funding sources. Trump, who has often sparred with Paul, reposted the Kentucky senator’s statement on his bill. The provision in Judiciary Chairman Grassley’s proposed title includes the latest ballroom-related provision in the Senate.

“The United States Secret Service is responsible for securing the White House compound, as well as deciding how the compound must be secured given the current threat environment,” the Senate Judiciary Committee spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. “After three attempted assassinations against the current president, it’s clearer than ever that investing in Secret Service is essential.”