Senate Republican leaders are expected to ditch a $1bn proposal for security measures tied to Donald Trump\u2019s White House ballroom following a backlash from members of their own party.<\/p>\n
Under pressure from Trump, top Republican lawmakers tried to latch the proposal on to a roughly $70bn bill to restore funding to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the border patrol.<\/p>\n
But the plan prompted intense anxiety among congressional Republicans<\/a>, who feared diverting taxpayer dollars toward Trump\u2019s \u201cEast Wing modernization project\u201d amid mounting cost of living concerns across the US would risk alienating voters ahead of November\u2019s midterm elections.<\/p>\n Senate Democrats pledged to oppose the funding for Trump\u2019s ballroom<\/a>, and push \u201cvote after vote\u201d in a bid to force Republicans to publicly endorse it.<\/p>\n Republican John Thune, the US Senate<\/a> majority leader, acknowledged \u201congoing vote issues\u201d with the wider bill on Wednesday, as the party\u2019s leaders try to gauge support. They hope to pass the bill this week, and send it to the House of Representatives, before departing for a week-long recess around the Memorial Day holiday.<\/p>\n Addressing reporters on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Chuck Schumer, the US Senate\u2019s top Democrat, accused Republicans of trying to \u201csneak\u201d ballroom funding into the bill. \u201cThe American people caught them red-handed, and now they\u2019re trying to drop that hot potato,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The East Wing of the White House was reduced to rubble<\/a> last year to make way for Trump\u2019s plan for a gilded ballroom. Polling has indicated that most Americans oppose the controversial project, which remains embroiled in litigation in federal court.<\/p>\n