{"id":13032,"date":"2026-05-21T20:15:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/05\/21\/us-senate-wont-take-up-ice-funding-bill-amid-row-over-trumps-ballroom-which-president-defends-as-very-good-expenditure-live-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T20:15:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:15:01","slug":"us-senate-wont-take-up-ice-funding-bill-amid-row-over-trumps-ballroom-which-president-defends-as-very-good-expenditure-live-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/05\/21\/us-senate-wont-take-up-ice-funding-bill-amid-row-over-trumps-ballroom-which-president-defends-as-very-good-expenditure-live-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"US Senate won\u2019t take up ICE funding bill amid row over Trump\u2019s ballroom, which president defends as \u2018very good expenditure\u2019 \u2013 live – The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"
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US Senate refuses to push through ICE funding amid row over Trump\u2019s ballroom<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

A bid to restore funding to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol has been derailed by rows over a $1bn proposal for security measures tied to Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s White House ballroom and controversial plans to create a $1.8bn \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund.<\/a><\/p>\n

The US Senate<\/a> will not pass the $70bn legislation ahead of a 1 June deadline set by the US president, Republican senators told reporters on Thursday, as lawmakers leave Washington for the Memorial Day recess.<\/p>\n

It comes amid backlash from members of Trump\u2019s own party against an attempt to latch funding for his ballroom project on to the immigration bill.<\/p>\n

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

Some Senate Republicans have also expressed concerns about a plan, announced on Monday, to create a secretive $1.776bn fund<\/a> \u2013 which critics have argued is essentially a slush fund<\/a> \u2013 to compensate Trump allies as part of an agreement in which the president and his sons dropped a $10bn long-shot lawsuit against the US Internal Revenue Service.<\/p>\n

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n <\/p>\n

  • n\n

    US Senate refuses to push through ICE funding amid row over Trump\u2019s ballroom. <\/strong>A bid to restore funding to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol has been derailed by rows over a $1bn proposal for security measures tied to Trump<\/a>\u2019s White House ballroom and controversial plans to create a $1.8bn \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    n <\/p>\n

  • n\n

    The Democratic National Party belatedly released a copy of a report about why Democrats lost the 2024 presidential election, written by a Democratic strategist.<\/strong> The report focuses on key demographics that Harris lost \u2013 including Latinos, men and rural voters in many states \u2013 and compares her performance to other Democrats in key state races, such as North Carolina governor Josh Stein.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    n <\/p>\n

  • n\n

    Trump insists White House ballroom security costs would be a \u2018very good expenditure\u2019 despite GOP backlash. <\/strong>Asked about Republican backlash over plans to provide $1bn in security funds for his White House ballroom project, Trump drew distinctions between the ballroom and proposed security improvements.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    n <\/p>\n

  • n\n

    Trump postponed a signing ceremony for an executive order on artificial intelligence because he didn\u2019t like some aspects of the text.<\/strong> He announced this just a few hours before the ceremony with top CEOs at the White House was due to take place.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    n <\/p>\n

  • n\n

    Trump says \u2018it looks like I\u2019ll be the one\u2019 to intervene in Cuba after Castro indictment. <\/strong>Asked about the US aircraft carrier that arrived in the Caribbean yesterday and whether it was meant to intimidate the Cuban government, Trump said: \u201cNo, not at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    n<\/ul>\n

    “,”elementId”:”e3df3b42-77ea-4b7a-a739-b0369b6e16f6″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:false,”summary”:true},”blockCreatedOn”:1779393148000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.52\u00a0EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1779393562000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.59\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1779393562000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.59\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.59″,”title”:”Here’s a recap of the day so far”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 21 May 2026 16.13 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 21 May 2026 06.39 EDT”},{“id”:”6a0f4d248f089865cf41a6f6″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    A bid to restore funding to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol has been derailed by rows over a $1bn proposal for security measures tied to Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s White House ballroom and controversial plans to create a $1.8bn \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund.<\/a><\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”1cc850f8-f21a-438f-962d-8be8149e38c4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    The US Senate<\/a> will not pass the $70bn legislation ahead of a 1 June deadline set by the US president, Republican senators told reporters on Thursday, as lawmakers leave Washington for the Memorial Day recess.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”0665c659-de2a-439a-8e72-e69deaf16c3b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    It comes amid backlash from members of Trump\u2019s own party against an attempt to latch funding for his ballroom project on to the immigration bill.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”6e0b8591-0fa3-4e35-82bf-e1a0393f4ad4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    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

    “,”elementId”:”6178ec37-d315-46c6-9987-c0ee59ba95c2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    Some Senate Republicans have also expressed concerns about a plan, announced on Monday, to create a secretive $1.776bn fund<\/a> \u2013 which critics have argued is essentially a slush fund<\/a> \u2013 to compensate Trump allies as part of an agreement in which the president and his sons dropped a $10bn long-shot lawsuit against the US Internal Revenue Service.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”1fe56081-dc13-411b-af65-56d46475543a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”text”:”US Senate refuses to push through ICE funding amid row over Trump\u2019s ballroom”,”elementId”:”e1e011ea-a85a-4453-b1b9-c9fb5346d027″,”role”:”thumbnail”,”url”:”https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/21\/senate-republicans-to-ditch-trump-ballroom-funding”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1779387684000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.21\u00a0EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1779387766000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”14.22\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1779387766000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.22\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.22″,”title”:”US Senate refuses to push through ICE funding amid row over Trump\u2019s ballroom”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 21 May 2026 16.13 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 21 May 2026 06.39 EDT”},{“id”:”6a0f3cbd8f080414a3d98895″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    Asked about the US aircraft carrier that arrived in the Caribbean yesterday and whether it was meant to intimidate the Cuban<\/strong> government, Trump<\/strong> said: \u201cNo, not at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”a2b97fd4-a7ca-48d1-824e-eaa12e093491″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    \u201cWe\u2019re going to help them along \u2026 because I want to help them,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cOther presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years. It looks like I\u2019ll be the one that does it. We want to open it up to Cuban Americans where they can go back and help.\u201d<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”f06f25d6-4bf6-401c-8870-b632cacabb30″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    Fears of potential US military strikes on Cuba are growing<\/a>, following the issuing of a federal criminal indictment against former president Ra\u00fal Castro<\/a> and five others yesterday, marking a significant escalation of the Trump administration\u2019s campaign to oust the country\u2019s six-decades-old communist regime.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”7f961f84-8a88-47fa-a76e-ff9836218da7″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1779383485000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”13.11\u00a0EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1779384444000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”13.27\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1779383864000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”13.17\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”13.17″,”title”:”Trump says \u2018it looks like I\u2019ll be the one\u2019 to intervene in Cuba after Castro indictment”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 21 May 2026 16.13 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 21 May 2026 06.39 EDT”},{“id”:”6a0f37ef8f08c1daf13f2865″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    Asked about Republican backlash over plans to provide $1bn in security funds for his White House ballroom project<\/strong>, Donald Trump<\/strong> drew distinctions between the ballroom and proposed security improvements.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”3f53b509-0d93-4557-9c5f-73fcc05a6cd1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    He said the ballroom was being built \u201cin conjunction\u201d with the military and the Secret Service and claimed that \u201ca tremendous amount\u201d of the project \u201cis for national security\u201d.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”f0aefcf8-d0fb-410b-bb7a-754d23256f14″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    The president also said that the changes were \u201cnot for me because I\u2019ll be gone\u201d – even though he\u2019s repeatedly mused about remaining in office after his term, including yesterday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”60d28268-b5f6-47b4-8f5e-98299768f2f8″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    Pressured by the White House, Republicans tried to add the funds to a roughly $70bn bill to restore funding to ICE and the Border Patrol. But the security proposal is expected to be scrapped<\/a> after being met with opposition from some GOP lawmakers who feared diverting taxpayer dollars to the project amid mounting cost of living concerns across the US would risk alienating voters ahead of November\u2019s midterm elections.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”d55a6fa9-defc-4ec4-835e-6972245dec3f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    Asked if he was losing control of the Senate, Trump said:<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”66d97e25-b31f-4318-a6f5-dc7ff3619266″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    n <\/p>\n

    I really don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t need money for the ballroom, I\u2019m making a gift of the ballroom.<\/p>\n

    n <\/p>\n

    We\u2019re on time, on budget, it\u2019s going beautifully. I have all the money I need, I\u2019m making a gift to the United States. The ballroom is paid for, it\u2019s a gift.<\/p>\n

    n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    “,”elementId”:”750f45c4-016f-4e3b-9dad-abf0ea5bf074″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    He then claimed the funds needed for the ballroom are for \u201cnational security\u201d, including the drone port and bulletproof glass.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”ccd16077-3df1-42ab-b4e3-2a60a7488fd6″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    n <\/p>\n

    If they want to spend money securing the White House, I think it would be very much a good expenditure.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    “,”elementId”:”102388a8-1c44-4c74-9bba-90769915d03f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    Asked what if Congress doesn\u2019t sign off on the security money, Trump replied:<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”2c19c789-fea0-4fb5-929a-fc1502e4d42f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    n <\/p>\n

    Well, the White House won\u2019t be a very secure place.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    “,”elementId”:”ad7d50a4-e982-4e34-a14b-d656c031bc02″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1779382255000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”12.50\u00a0EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1779384667000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”13.31\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1779383127000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”13.05\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”13.05″,”title”:”Trump insists White House ballroom security costs would be a ‘very good expenditure’ despite GOP backlash”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 21 May 2026 16.13 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 21 May 2026 06.39 EDT”},{“id”:”6a0f35938f080414a3d9884d”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    Donald Trump<\/strong> also called off a signing ceremony for an executive order on artificial intelligence because he didn\u2019t like some aspects of the text.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”270da761-5684-49c5-a805-7767a942bd05″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    \u201cBecause I didn\u2019t like certain aspects of it I postponed it<\/strong>,\u201d Trump told reporters in the Oval Office a short while ago, just a few hours before the ceremony with top CEOs at the White House was due to take place. \u201cI didn\u2019t like what I was seeing<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”ce009fc9-9686-4fce-afaa-560d5fdc3df4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    He added: \u201cWe\u2019re leading China, we\u2019re leading everybody, and I don\u2019t want to do anything that\u2019s going to get in the way of that lead<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”12505ec3-aefe-4986-a068-50a3b17a121a”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1779381651000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”12.40\u00a0EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1779381934000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”12.45\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1779381690000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”12.41\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”12.41″,”title”:”Trump postpones signing AI executive order because he ‘didn’t like some aspects'”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 21 May 2026 16.13 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 21 May 2026 06.39 EDT”},{“id”:”6a0f1a3b8f089865cf41a424″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    The Democratic National Party released a copy of a report about why Democrats lost the 2024 presidential election, written by Democratic strategist Paul Rivera Thursday.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”77174cdc-ba3c-4560-b46c-5a4720522088″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    News about the report<\/a> and the full report was first published by CNN.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”f1be66d5-3ffc-4122-abd2-a9134d0dac0e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    The report was commissioned at the request of Ken Martin, the DNC\u2019s committee chair, and the version CNN published includes annotations that the DNC added to Rivera\u2019s report.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”9d08721f-0afa-469b-9ed0-12fa72837e1b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    The report was handed to Martin late last year, he told CNN in a statement, but he didn\u2019t share it then because no source material was provided. He apologized for the delay, but said he was releasing it now even though it still does not meet his standards, because \u201cpeople need to be able to trust the Democratic Party and trust our word.\u201d<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”bf8dc05c-3297-41d2-8cf3-35db79c345c2″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1779374651000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”10.44\u00a0EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1779375336000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”10.55\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1779375336000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”10.55\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”10.55″,”title”:”DNC releases autopsy of party’s 2024 presidential campaign”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 21 May 2026 16.13 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 21 May 2026 06.39 EDT”},{“id”:”6a0f11458f080414a3d985e7″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries<\/strong> and other Democrats spoke held a news conference, ahead of the vote-a-rama Thursday morning.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”575ba3ae-533e-441f-977f-a5279c9f8f52″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe Republican agenda is one big broken promise,\u201d said Schumer, criticizing the Republican budget bill. \u201cWe still haven\u2019t seen the bill, because they are fighting with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”511893d6-0abf-4c31-8380-b0cd951a834f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    Schumer said the Republicans<\/a> tried to sneak a billion dollars for Trump\u2019s ballroom, while the Democrats are fighting for lower costs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”77f78f5a-d906-44f1-aa4a-62a8751a60f9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    \u201cDemocrats want to put an end to the reckless Iran war,\u201d he said. \u201cTrump and Republicans are fueling the war and keeping gas prices high.\u201d<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”25231b97-8dd1-42a9-8afd-7ab30079ad02″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    Schumer introduced Jeffries as \u201csoon to be House Speaker,\u201d and handed him the podium.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”7a272fe5-d0ea-4e5d-813e-f4521f90be48″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    \u201cTaxpayer dollars under no circumstances should be used to brutalize or kill American citizens,\u201d<\/strong> said Jeffries, while speaking about the powers the Trump administration has given ICE. \u201cThat\u2019s unpatriotic and unacceptable and thats why we are strongly opposing this bill.\u201d<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”f0740975-0587-4f00-b87d-29ec85185ac2″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1779372357000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”10.05\u00a0EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1779374577000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”10.42\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1779372913000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”10.15\u00a0EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”10.15″,”title”:”Democrats say taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be used ‘to brutalize or kill American citizens'”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 21 May 2026 16.13 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 21 May 2026 06.39 EDT”},{“id”:”6a0f04558f085b51400a63c1″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n

    The supreme court will hand down opinions at 10am ET today. Here\u2019s a reminder of the major cases we\u2019re tracking closely.<\/p>\n

    “,”elementId”:”c8f5a1d7-d27d-48ff-9095-25b4ea112ec7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<\/p>\n