05.06.26 - Republicans’ rush to deliver ICE funds & Trump’s ballroom by June 1

This week, Republicans unveiled a legislative package to funnel billions of dollars to immigration enforcement and the President’s deeply unpopular 90,000 square foot ballroom—the same ballroom the President promised would come at “ZERO cost to the American Taxpayer!” 

Below, we’ll cover what that legislation includes and expected next steps. 

What’s in the GOP’s proposal? 

Republicans’ $72 billion legislation would send: 

• $38.2 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This is expected to “quadruple” ICE’ capacity through 2029, allowing the agency to ramp up its activities for the rest of Trump’s term—without the threat of Congress standing in its way by holding up funding.

• $26 billion to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This funding is expected to last the agency through next year. 

• $5 billion to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Congress just approved funding to reopen DHS last week after a 76-day shutdown. 

• $1.5 billion to the Department of Justice.

• $1 billion to the Secret Service for the “East Wing Modernization Project.” That’s the ballroom. 

What happens next? 

The relevant Senate committees (Judiciary and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, followed by Budget) are expected to consider this legislation next week or the following, with the full Senate voting the week of May 18 or 25. 

There’s been no talk of House Republicans releasing their own version of this package—meaning, once the Senate passes it, the House can vote and send the final bill to the President’s desk to become law. 

Could there be hiccups along the way? 

Certainly. Republicans are using the convoluted reconciliation process to pass this legislation without Democratic votes, which means they need to jump through the same hoops they did last year to pass the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act—the Byrd Bath, vote-a-rama, and so on (refresh your memory on those here). And Democrats plan to take full advantage of opportunities to force votes on line items like Trump’s ballroom funding. This will take up time. 

However, this package is not the One Big Beautiful Bill Act 2.0: it’s narrower, meaning the GOP isn’t likely to see the Senate’s rules force major rewrites at the 11th hour as they did last year. 

This doesn’t mean Republicans will definitely meet the President’s June 1 deadline for this bill—but they certainly could. 

GRAPHIC: Republicans’ reconciliation timeline

The graphic below (“Republicans’ Reconciliation Timeline”) describes the key steps in the reconciliation process and where each one stands with respect to this legislation. We’ll continue to keep you posted as this process moves forward. 

If you’d like a live update for your group or coalition, reach out to catherine@webuildprogress.org. Thanks!