EXCLUSIVE — Republicans will head to the White House on Thursday afternoon for another classified briefing with the Secret Service as the Trump administration intensifies its push to salvage a controversial $1 billion security funding request facing growing Republican skepticism on Capitol Hill.
A source familiar with the meeting told the Washington Examiner that lawmakers will hear directly from Secret Service Director Sean Curran, Secret Service Chief Operating Officer Christopher Toms, and other senior members of the Secret Service leadership team about why the money is needed.
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The closed-door meeting marks the third high-level briefing this week alone centered on the White House security funding. It comes as administration officials race to shore up support for the funding ahead of President Donald Trump’s self-imposed June 1 reconciliation deadline.
The White House has spent much of the week lobbying lawmakers behind the scenes. White House and Secret Service officials already briefed Senate Republicans at a luncheon on Tuesday and House Republicans on Wednesday.
The lobbying blitz has yet to pay off, however. Several Republicans in both chambers remain opposed to the funding request, largely because part of it is tied to Trump’s planned White House ballroom project.
Taxpayer money is not funding the construction of the ballroom, which Trump has pledged will be built with $400 million in private donations. Yet, $220 million in taxpayer money is requested for security installations above and below ground for the ballroom and the new, larger White House East Wing.
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The rest of the $1 billion in security funding is earmarked for other upgrades to the White House complex. Those include $180 million for a visitor screening facility, $350 million for enhanced security training, $150 million for emerging drone and biological threats, and $100 million for increased security at high-profile events.
Republicans have spent the past month crafting a sweeping reconciliation bill providing up to $70 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. But the addition of the White House security funding has complicated negotiations and created fresh friction among fiscal conservatives already uneasy about the bill’s cost.
