Parliamentarian blocks White House ballroom funding in GOP immigration bill

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that a proposed $1 billion Secret Service funding line item for White House security—including the East Wing modernization and ballroom project—could not be kept in the GOP immigration-enforcement bill as drafted because the funding falls outside the Judiciary Committee’s jurisdiction; Republicans must redraft and resubmit for her approval, while Democrats vow to challenge any changes. The administration estimates about $220 million would support the White House project, and lawmakers are racing to finalize a bill by a June 1 deadline before a recess.