The Senate Republican Party is not convinced by the Secret Service’s $1 billion request

WASHINGTON – Several Republican U.S. senators left a closed lunch with Secret Service Director Sean Curran on Tuesday saying they still had questions about how the agency would spend an additional billion dollars.

“I asked for a lot more data,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine. “For example, if there is a need for new training areas, that should have been in the president’s budget.”

Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, pocketed the significant escalate a major immigration enforcement lawleading to concerns from some of his GOP colleagues and criticism from Democrats that the money will go toward building a White House ballroom.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said after the noon session that the additional funding was intended primarily for regular Secret Service activities and not to support the creation of a up-to-date ballroom.

“The ballroom is privately funded, but the security associated with it is about 20% of the amount requested,” Thune said.

A breakdown of the Secret Service’s employ of the up-to-date funds obtained by States Newsroom revealed:

• $220 million would be used to “strengthen” the East Wing modernization project with additional bulletproof glass, drone detection technologies and filtration systems to detect chemical or other contaminants.
• $180 million would go toward building a “long overdue” visitor screening facility at the White House.
• $175 million would strengthen the Secret Service’s training and training facilities.
• $175 million would aid the agency “secure frequently visited venues that are at increased risk due to their public visibility and static nature.”
• $150 million would go to the intelligence division focused on drones, aircraft strikes, biological threats and “other emerging threats through investments in cutting-edge technologies.”
• $100 million for “high-profile national events that require extensive planning.”

Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott said he wanted the Secret Service to share more information.

“I think at the end of the day, people want to support him, don’t they? They want security for the president, but they want more details,” he said.

The $1 billion for the Secret Service would be in addition to the $1.17 billion that Republicans approved for the agency in their “big, beautiful” bill, as well as the agency’s annual funding level.

The White House has published its budget request In early April, he asked lawmakers to approve $3.5 billion for the Secret Service in an annual funding bill, an escalate of $36 million.

Senators want more details

Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis said he wanted “more details” from the administration in addition to what lawmakers saw during the lunch.

South Dakota Republican Sen. Mike Rounds said he has asked the Secret Service for more information about his needs.

“They’re trying to make it very clear that these are security improvements that should be considered in major renovations at the White House itself,” he said. “So I think the more information comes to light, the more comfortable people will be with what they’re asking for.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, said he supported the additional Secret Service funding and argued that security at the White House can be complicated.

“I agree with that,” he said. “As long as it’s used for safety reasons.”

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she wanted to see a detailed breakdown of where the $1 billion would go before committing to supporting the move.

No information from the justice chairman

Grassley, who included the “Security Adjustments and Improvements” item for the East Wing Modernization Project in his panel’s immigration enforcement bill, did not provide details before lunch about how he arrived at the $1 billion figure.

“It was just kind of a consensus between all of us,” he said, later adding that the agreement came between Republican lawmakers in the Senate and not with the White House.

Grassley said he did not expect to know before the end of the week whether the Secret Service’s funding would remain in the $72 billion package intended to fund immigration activities for the next three years.

The Judiciary Committee bill and a bill written by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which will be consolidated in the coming days, would provide $38.175 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26.02 billion to Customs and Border Protection, $5 billion to the Office of Homeland Security and $1.457 billion to the Justice Department.

GOP leaders in Congress hope to pass the bill next week and send it to President Donald Trump before the Memorial Day weekend recess.

Opportunity for Democrats

The Senate debate on the package includes a marathon vote on amendments that would give Democrats or even Republicans a chance to vote on the additional spending.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, said Democrats “will certainly be able to put our colleagues on the record” regarding the additional intelligence agency funding.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would “fight tooth and nail” against this bill.

“We will table amendments and force Republicans to vote again and again on one simple question: Are you part of working families or are you part of Trump’s ballroom,” he said.

Thune said earlier in the day that Republicans “can’t have many hiccups right now” and still send Trump the package before the president’s June 1 deadline.