BREAKING: Senate GOP propose $1 BILLION in White House ballroom security
The bill states that “none of the funds made available under this section may be used for non-security elements of the East Wing Modernization Project.”
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The bill states that “none of the funds made available under this section may be used for non-security elements of the East Wing Modernization Project.”
In a newly unveiled DHS funding bill by Senate Republicans, lawmakers have proposed $1 billion for security measures related to Trump’s White House ballroom project. This comes after another attempt on Trump's life at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in late April.
The reconciliation bill released by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley states that $1 billion should be appropriated to the US Secret Service "for the purposes of security adjustments and upgrades, including within the perimeter fence of the White House Compound to support enhancements by the United States Secret Service relating to the East Wing Modernization Project, including above-ground and below-ground security features."
The bill states that "none of the funds made available under this section may be used for non-security elements of the East Wing Modernization Project."
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told NBC News in a statement regarding the proposal, "Congress has rightly recognized the need for these funds. Due in part to the recent assassination attempt on President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the proposal would provide the United States Secret Service with the resources they need to fully and completely harden the White House complex, in addition to the many other critical missions for the USSS."
In the day following the shooting, Trump said that the incident showed the importance of building the ballroom project. He wrote, "What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE."
"This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough! While beautiful, it has every highest level security feature there is plus, there are no rooms sitting on top for unsecured people to pour in, and is inside the gates of the most secure building in the World, The White House. The ridiculous Ballroom lawsuit, brought by a woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit, must be dropped, immediately. Nothing should be allowed to interfere with its construction, which is on budget and substantially ahead of schedule!!!"
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