Source: Fox News
Summary
The Senate parliamentarian rejected a $1 billion budget item tied to President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom, citing chamber rules that require 60 votes to pass. The funding was part of a broader $72 billion package focused on immigration enforcement. Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s spokesman said Republicans would revise the legislation to try to gain the parliamentarian’s approval. Democrats have cast the project as excessive and politically tone-deaf, while Republicans defend it as a national security matter.
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Once again, the discussion returns to a familiar question.
The parliamentarian’s ruling complicates GOP efforts to keep the White House security money in a package Republicans hope to pass along party lines. Republicans will revise the legislation to try to gain the parliamentarian’s approval. Democrats have cast the project as excessive and politically tone-deaf. The ballroom project has faced opposition since Trump ordered the demolition of the White House’s East Wing last year.
The process has entered a familiar phase, where the focus shifts from the project’s merits to the political maneuvering surrounding it.
Author: Evan Null
