Senate GOP leaders plan to pass their $72 billion ICE and CBP funding package this week.
But first, they’ve got to settle a brutal procedural and political battle over $1 billion in the reconciliation bill for the Secret Service to help fund security for President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project.
A sizable group of House and Senate Republicans doesn’t want to vote for any money related to Trump’s controversial ballroom while the cost of living is sky-high and gas is at $4.50-plus per gallon. But the White House really wants this, putting the GOP on a collision course.
Here’s how the fight is playing out:
1) The Senate parliamentarian ruled over the weekend that the $1 billion for the Secret Service doesn’t comply with reconciliation rules, per Budget Committee Democrats.
The Senate GOP leadership can and will keep going back to the parliamentarian with new language to try to make the provision work as part of the Byrd Bath process. It would be a relief for a number of vulnerable Republicans if this effort fails.
Senate Democrats have vowed to keep challenging any attempt to get the ballroom-related money into the package.
2) If the language passes muster with the parliamentarian, Senate GOP leaders have the vote-a-rama to worry about.
Senate Democrats will force amendments at a 50-vote threshold to strip the ballroom money and divert it to other projects. This could succeed. It would only require the support of a handful of Republicans.
No matter how the Byrd Bath shakes out, Senate Democrats plan to push ballroom-related amendments and force GOP senators to go on the record on the controversial project.
3) If the language somehow manages to survive the Senate, there’s still intense opposition in the House.
Week ahead. Meanwhile, key Senate committees will tee up the bill for a floor vote. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will mark up its portion of the bill at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
HSGAC Democrats are planning amendments related to ICE’s conduct, forcing transparency from administration officials and directing the Department of Homeland Security to address other national security needs, according to a Democratic committee aide.
The Senate Budget Committee meets at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to report out the bill.
The Senate is likely to kick off the vote-a-rama on Thursday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s strategy is to focus the barrage of Democratic amendments on affordability and other politically sensitive issues, such as the Iran war and ballroom funding.
The House plans to vote on the reconciliation bill this week to meet Trump’s artificial June 1 deadline.
In the House. Speaker Mike Johnson is hosting his biggest supporters in Washington this week for his annual large-donor retreat.
The House isn’t in session until Wednesday, so we’ll revisit this in the days ahead. But Trump seemingly tried to blow up both a FISA reauthorization and the housing bill in one fell swoop, saying the SAVE America Act needs to be added into one or both.
FISA doesn’t expire for a couple of weeks, so lawmakers have some time there. Johnson plans to bring the GOP housing bill to the floor this week. But the speaker will need to maximize Republican support for the legislation, since it’s coming up under suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority. And Trump’s reengagement here could hurt GOP leaders.
