Senate Republicans Propose $72 Billion Borrowed Funding Plan for ICE, Border Security, and Trump's White House Ballroom

Senate Republicans have unveiled a $72 billion spending package that would fund immigration enforcement and President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom—entirely through borrowed funds. The proposal, analyzed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and released on Wednesday morning, marks a significant departure from fiscal norms.

The package includes two bills:

• $38 billion allocated to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• $26 billion directed to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with the largest portion—$19.1 billion—earmarked for hiring, training, and equipping border patrol agents and support staff.
• An additional $3.5 billion for border screening efforts.
• $1 billion for the Secret Service to fund security upgrades and enhancements in the new East Wing of the White House, which includes Trump’s planned ballroom.

The reconciliation package is a Republican effort to bypass Democratic opposition to funding immigration enforcement and Trump’s ballroom project. Traditionally, the Senate reconciliation process, established by the Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1975, is used to control or reduce spending. Under standard reconciliation rules, spending increases must be offset by cuts elsewhere. However, this package circumvents those rules to pass what amounts to a supplemental appropriation without a filibuster.

“This is a precedent-setting move,” said William W. Beach, executive director of the Fiscal Lab on Capitol Hill. “I’m worried about it, because it gives almost unlimited spending authority to the majority.”

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D–Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, issued a statement warning he would “vigorously challenge any provision” of the package that violates reconciliation rules. Dominik Lett, a fiscal policy analyst for the Cato Institute, criticized the plan in an email to Reason, stating:

“Republicans are using [reconciliation] to make deficit expansion easier.”

Lett confirmed after reviewing the CBO’s assessment that every dollar in the spending bill would be borrowed, adding, “They don’t even attempt to include offsets.”

Trump initially claimed the ballroom project would be “free” for taxpayers, with private donations covering the full cost. However, that claim has since been revised. Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R–S.C.) announced that taxpayers would be expected to cover approximately $400 million of the ballroom’s cost. Given the rapidly escalating price tag, the $1 billion allocated in the reconciliation package may soon prove insufficient.

Critics argue that framing the ballroom funding as a taxpayer expense is misleading, as the funds would come from borrowed money rather than direct taxation.