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Numbers of the Day May 12, 2026 · 9:28 pm ET Source: NBC News Politics

Three Votes: The Ballroom Provision's Margin of Error

3
Republican defections needed to strip the $1B White House ballroom provision

Republicans can afford to lose exactly three votes on the party-line ICE-and-border funding bill — and Tuesday's closed-door Secret Service briefing didn't close the gap. Said Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), usually a reliable Trump vote: "I'm still undecided." Collins is on record saying the project "is supposed to be paid for by private donations — that's what the president has said." Rand Paul is betting the Senate parliamentarian kills the provision in the Byrd bath before it ever reaches a floor vote. The breakdown of the $1B: $220M to harden the White House complex, $180M for visitor screening, $175M training, $175M protectee security — and whatever is left over for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom Trump promised donors would cost $400M in private money. A Washington Post-ABC poll from late April shows 2-to-1 public opposition. Democrats have the receipts and the votes lined up; they just need a fourth Republican to cross.

Source: NBC News Politics · link ArticleIAppropriationsGOPRuleofLaw
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18 Cents Won't Save You From a $4.50 Tank

Source: NYT Politics ArticleIAppropriationsEconomy
Brief 5d ago

18 Cents Off, Half a Billion a Week, Zero Votes

Source: CBS News Politics EconomyAffordabilityAppropriations
Brief 7d ago

72 Percent Want the Money Out. Congress Won't Move.