‘No’: Senate’s top Republican shut down Trump’s demand to fire the parliamentarian blocking his $220 million ballroom

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has flatly rejected President Donald Trump’s demand to fire the Senate parliamentarian who blocked funding for Trump’s White House ballroom. The nonpartisan Senate adviser, Elizabeth MacDonough, ruled that the ballroom funding, as written, could not be included in the party-line budget bill, which angered Trump.

According to NOTUS, Trump called Thune to express his frustration with MacDonough’s decision. The call was reportedly tense, with Trump pushing Thune to take action against her. However, Thune told reporters he would not consider firing MacDonough. “No,” Thune said when asked if he would consider ousting the parliamentarian. 

“We’re going through a process that we go through every time we have a reconciliation bill, and the people on both sides are mad at the parliamentarian. That’s been true,” he added. MacDonough made her decision on Saturday, ruling that the ballroom funding provision did not pass the so-called Byrd Rule, which prevents non-budget items from passing with a simple majority.

The ballroom battle is far from over, as Republicans scramble to rewrite the provision and keep Trump’s pet project alive

She said the bill needed to be rewritten to fix jurisdictional issues. The bill also aims to fund ICE and Border Patrol, alongside $1 billion that includes the ballroom funding, with about $220 million aimed specifically at the East Wing project.

While Trump has promised to build the ballroom with private donations, Republicans are trying to get the funding into their filibuster-proof legislation. The parliamentarian’s ruling has forced them to revise the proposal. The White House declined to comment on the private conversation between Trump and Thune, with a spokesperson saying, “We don’t comment on private conversations that may or may not have happened.”

Despite the setback, Republicans are still hoping to get favorable rulings from MacDonough in the coming days. “The discussions with the parliamentarian are a back and forth,” Thune said. “We, like on many issues, have multiple plans and contingencies for how she may or may not rule. It’s a give and take, and you take what she suggests or take her opinions and then try and come up with a different way of getting it done.”

This is not the first time Trump’s allies have pushed Thune to fire MacDonough. Last year, during the push to pass Trump’s tax bill through the same process, Trump allies called for her removal after she stripped out several Medicaid provisions. Thune refused then, and he is doing the same now. 

Senator Lindsey Graham has been one of the more vocal Republican defenders of Trump’s agenda, and his recent defense of Trump’s controversial financial comments drew significant attention. The budget resolution only allows ballroom-related language to originate from the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. 

According to NBC News, if Senate officials again find that the ballroom project falls under the jurisdiction of a different committee, Republicans may be forced to leave that funding out of the bill entirely. The broader debate over government-wide stock trading restrictions has also been simmering in the background, adding to tensions around financial accountability in Washington.

Democrats have firmly pushed back against the project. “The American people shouldn’t spend a single dime on Trump’s gold-plated ballroom boondoggle,” said Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. 

“While we expect Republicans to change this bill to appease Trump, Democrats are prepared to challenge any change to this bill. We cannot let Republicans waste our national treasure on a mission of chaos and corruption while turning a blind eye to the needs of the American people.” As one Republican senator put it, “Redraft. Refine. Resubmit. None of this is abnormal during a Byrd process.”