{"id":2604281,"date":"2026-05-19T00:33:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T04:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-vents-at-thune-over-ballroom-funding-setback\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T00:34:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T04:34:20","slug":"trump-vents-at-thune-over-ballroom-funding-setback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-vents-at-thune-over-ballroom-funding-setback\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump vents at Thune over ballroom funding setback"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-vents-at-thune-over-ballroom-funding-setback%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2604281&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Donald Trump privately complained to senate Majority Leader John Thune after a Senate parliamentarian ruling put at risk millions in security funding tied to Trump\u2019s East Wing ballroom. Reported by *Semafor* and confirmed by a source, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >call highlights renewed tensions<\/a> as Democrats try to strip those dollars from an immigration enforcement bill expected to reach a Senate vote soon.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans are planning to rewrite the language to meet reconciliation rules, which require the provisions have a budgetary impact and fall within committee jurisdiction. The setback recalls earlier fights involving parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, whom Trump and conservatives had urged Thune to remove after she ruled against parts of a prior GOP tax measure.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have already challenged $1 billion in Secret service-related funding and plan to do so again after Republicans submit updated text.About $220 million of the figure is earmarked for hardening the East Wing complex, even as Trump has said he would use private funds for the expansion, prompting criticism from Democrats and some internal GOP concerns about the cost.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> used a Monday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-kelly-same-people-criticizing-trump-peddled-russia-collusion-hoax\/\" title=\"Mike Kelly: Same People Criticizing Trump Peddled Russia Collusion Hoax\">phone call<\/a> with Senate Majority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-thune\/\">John Thune<\/a> (R-SD) to complain about a ruling from the Senate parliamentarian that has jeopardized millions in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-sen-murphy-says-serious-bipartisan-negotiations-on-gun-control-underway\/\" title=\"Democrat Sen. Murphy Says \u201cSerious\u201d Bipartisan Negotiations on Gun Control Underway\">security dollars<\/a> for his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4565549\/gop-heartburn-forces-message-pivot-money-trump-ballroom\/\">East Wing ballroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The phone call, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/article\/05\/18\/2026\/trump-privately-fumes-over-imperiled-ballroom-security-money\">reported<\/a> by <em>Semafor<\/em> and confirmed by a source familiar with the conversation, represents the latest flash of frustration as Democrats attempt to strip the money from an immigration enforcement bill that will get a Senate vote before the end of the week.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4571355\/senate-parliamentarian-trump-ballroom-security-funding\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Senate parliamentarian deals setback to Trump\u2019s ballroom security funding<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4568646\/republicans-warm-netanyahu-plan-end-us-military-aid-israel\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Republicans warm to Netanyahu plan to end US military aid to Israel<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4570211\/congress-moves-raise-capitol-police-retirement-age\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Congress moves to raise Capitol Police retirement age<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Republicans plan to rework the language to comply with the strict rules of reconciliation, a budget process that lets them skirt the filibuster, but the ruling has reopened wounds that predate the current spending fight.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Last year, Thune rejected conservative calls to fire Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough after she ruled against portions of Republicans\u2019 GOP tax law, and Trump himself asked Thune to remove her on Monday, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/donald-trump\/reconciliation-senate-parliamentarian-pressure\">according to<\/a> <em>NOTUS<\/em>. A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Under Democratic control, MacDonough has ruled against language on the minimum wage and other liberal priorities.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats successfully challenged the $1 billion in Secret Service funding on Saturday and will attempt to do so again when Republicans submit their updated text. Of that amount, around $220 million is earmarked for \u201chardening\u201d the East Wing complex. The funding is part of a $70 billion bill to reopen Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its sister agency, Customs and Border Protection.<\/p>\n<p>Thune downplayed the setback as a normal part of reconciliation, which requires that all language have a budgetary impact and fit within the jurisdiction of committees drafting the text.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4573500\/thune-staying-neutral-cassidy-louisiana-senate-runoff\/\"><strong>THUNE STAYING NEUTRAL AFTER CASSIDY LOSES SHOT AT LOUISIANA SENATE RUNOFF<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is an iterative process, it\u2019s a back and forth, and we, like on many issues, have multiple plans and ideas and contingencies for how she may or may not rule,\u201d Thune said of MacDonough on Monday. \u201cIt\u2019s a give and take, and you take what she suggests or take her opinions, and then try and come up with a different way of getting it done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The president has promised to use private funds to pay for the East Wing expansion, but Republicans\u2019 inclusion of the security dollars has fanned Democrats\u2019 criticism of the ballroom as an elaborate vanity project. A sizable number of Republicans have expressed concern about the price tag of that addition in the face of those attacks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump called Senate Majority Leader John Thune to complain about a parliamentarian ruling threatening millions for his East Wing ballroom<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2604282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25294643361880.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[32319,51601,34365,5894],"class_list":["post-2604281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-donald-trump","tag-government-funding-2","tag-mitch-mcconnell","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25294643361880.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2604281"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2604285,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604281\/revisions\/2604285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2604282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2604281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2604281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2604281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}