{"id":2604841,"date":"2026-05-20T06:33:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-rattles-senate-gop-amid-battle-over-gop-immigration-push\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T06:35:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:35:19","slug":"trump-rattles-senate-gop-amid-battle-over-gop-immigration-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-rattles-senate-gop-amid-battle-over-gop-immigration-push\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump rattles Senate GOP amid battle over GOP immigration push"},"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\">20<\/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-rattles-senate-gop-amid-battle-over-gop-immigration-push%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=2604841&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>Senate Republicans\u2019 push for a low-drama win has been derailed by setbacks stemming from Trump\u2019s interventions in GOP primaries and disputes over immigration-reconciliation funding. The bill would finance security upgrades for Trump\u2019s White House ballroom-raising anger among rank-and-file lawmakers, especially Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Cornyn, who face pressure and doubt over whether they\u2019ll support the measure. Cassidy has voiced strong opposition to the ballroom-related spending, calling it unaffordable and needless.<\/p>\n<p>Trump further inflamed tensions by endorsing Attorney General Ken paxton over Cornyn in the Texas runoff, prompting outrage from leaders and even allies, including warnings that Paxton could be more damaging in the general election due to personal and legal controversies. Thune says Republicans are trying to maintain unity and find a path forward, but prospects hinge not only on persuading enough senators and House members, but also on whether provisions can be kept under the reconciliation \u201cByrd rule.\u201d The Parliamentarian has already indicated the White House security funding must be changed to remain eligible.  <\/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>Senate Republicans\u2019 hopes for a low-fanfare week capped off with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-fixates-on-mamdani-as-newsom-looms-for-2028\/\" title=\"GOP fixates on Mamdani as Newsom looms for 2028\">major policy victory<\/a> have been quickly unraveled by a series of setbacks stretching from the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4574393\/trump-endorses-ken-paxton-ahead-texas-senate-primary-runoff\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4574393\/trump-endorses-ken-paxton-ahead-texas-senate-primary-runoff\/\">campaign trail<\/a> to President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4573787\/trump-vents-thune-ballroom-security-funding-setback\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4573787\/trump-vents-thune-ballroom-security-funding-setback\/\">Donald Trump\u2019s White House ballroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Republican leaders are facing curveballs from Trump in his bid to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4573703\/bill-cassidy-no-regrets-after-primary-loss\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4573703\/bill-cassidy-no-regrets-after-primary-loss\/\">oust their colleagues<\/a> Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and John Cornyn (R-TX) amid unrelenting GOP heartburn over hundreds of millions of dollars in security upgrades for his ballroom tucked into the party\u2019s $70 billion immigration enforcement bill.<\/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\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4575342\/house-updates-institutional-investor-provision-housing-bill\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>House updates institutional investor provision in bipartisan housing bill<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4574201\/trump-kevin-warsh-do-what-he-wants-fed-interest-rates\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump going to let Warsh \u2018do what he wants to do\u2019 at Fed with interest rates<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4573485\/congress-enters-major-week-housing-bill-clash-between-chambers\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Congress enters major week for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congress-enters-major-week-for-housing-bill-amid-clash-between-chambers\/\" title=\"Congress enters major week for housing ... amid clash between chambers\">housing bill amid clash<\/a> between chambers<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>For now, Republicans are urging unity in the coming days as they search for a path forward in the Senate on the so-called reconciliation bill to fund immigration agencies that will only require a simple majority to pass.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>\u201cMy goal, as always, is going to be to make sure we are as united as possible, working together with our colleagues in the House and with the White House on an agenda that will help us not only succeed as a country but hopefully prepare and ensure that our incumbents are in the best possible position to win their elections,\u201d Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>But Trump\u2019s thumb on the scales to boost primary challengers to Cassidy and Cornyn is doing him no favors when the party appears to lack enough votes on the reconciliation legislation in its current form. Several rank-and-file members, including Cassidy, are thumbing their noses at the more than $1 billion in White House security funding, $220 million of which is earmarked for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-parliamentarian-deals-setback-to-ballroom-security-funding\/\" title=\"... ... deals setback to ... security funding\">ballroom-related security<\/a> despite longtime promises from Trump that the $400 million project would be entirely donor-funded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s just not worth it,\u201d said Cassidy, who was shut out by Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming over the weekend from advancing to a primary runoff. Cassidy is among the Republicans who remain noncommittal on whether they\u2019ll vote to advance the reconciliation bill that could come as early as Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just came off the campaign trail; people love the president,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I can tell you, $1 billion for the ballroom when they\u2019re paying $300 more a month for gasoline, and there\u2019s no end in sight and they can\u2019t afford it, that\u2019s not where their head is or not where my head is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the wake of Trump effectively ousting Cassidy, Trump surprised many on Tuesday by endorsing Attorney General Ken Paxton over Cornyn in their primary runoff. The move left Senate Republicans across the ideological spectrum fuming, ranging from leadership to close Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Many now fear the party could have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to keep the seat red in the general election if Paxton is the nominee against Democrat James Talarico.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNone of us control what the president does. He made his decision about that,\u201d Thune said. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t change the way I feel. I am certainly supportive of \u2014 continue to be support of \u2014 Sen. Cornyn and his reelection.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Trump ultimately deemed Paxton the more loyal and conservative candidate. But many GOP senators see the state official as a liability with personal and professional baggage that includes an impeachment, an indictment, and accusations of adultery. Graham warned a Paxton nomination could cost Republicans \u201cat least\u201d three times more in the November general than Cornyn.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Paxton wins the primary, we\u2019ll be for him, but you don\u2019t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the pathway for Paxton is there, but it\u2019s more uphill and it will cost more,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans still hope to notch a win by week\u2019s end in the Senate and send their reconciliation bill to the GOP-controlled House. But another wrench in the intraparty policy debate is which provisions can survive the so-called Byrd rule that governs such party-line budget measures. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4575122\/senate-gop-fumes-trump-endorses-ken-paxton-texas\/\">SENATE GOP FUMES AFTER TRUMP SNUBS CORNYN WITH KEN PAXTON ENDORSEMENT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So far, the Senate\u2019s referee, Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, has ruled the White House security funding is out of bounds and must be altered, if Republicans wish to keep it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that the next step for us is to figure out what we can get 50 [votes] for in the Senate, 218 [votes] for in the House. That\u2019s always the case on every reconciliation bill,\u201d Thune said. \u201cIn the end, it\u2019s going to come down to what we have the votes to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senate GOP\u2019s low-key win quickly unraveled by Trump setbacks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2604842,"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\/2026\/05\/AP26138735466225.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[79977,3813,35272,3634],"class_list":["post-2604841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-gop-push","tag-immigration","tag-senate-republicans","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26138735466225.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604841","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\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2604841"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2604845,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604841\/revisions\/2604845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2604842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2604841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2604841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2604841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}