Trump Demands Thune Fire Parliamentarian Blocking Ballroom Funds
President Donald Trump demanded that Senate Majority Leader John Thune fire Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough after she blocked $1 billion in taxpayer funding for Trump’s ballroom project from a budget reconciliation bill. MacDonough determined that the ballroom funding violated the Byrd Rule, which prohibits non-budgetary items from passing with a simple majority vote. Trump called Thune to pressure him into removing MacDonough, but Thune refused, stating he would not fire her and noting that both sides of contentious reconciliation debates routinely criticize the parliamentarian.
Trump’s ballroom project has destroyed significant portions of the White House, including the entire East Wing, contradicting his initial assurances that construction would not interfere with existing structures. Initial claims that private donors would fund the project proved murky, and the endeavor has violated ethics standards regarding conflicts of interest. After an attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump and Republicans pivoted to demanding $1 billion in taxpayer funding for the ballroom’s “modernization” and security upgrades as part of a Secret Service budget.
The Senate Parliamentarian is a nonpartisan official tasked with interpreting and applying Senate rules. MacDonough’s Saturday ruling followed standard parliamentary procedure and reflects the institution’s established constraints on reconciliation bills. Republicans indicated they would revise the provision to comply with the Byrd Rule, a standard procedural response when proposals fail initial review.
This is not the first time Trump has pressured Thune to remove MacDonough. Trump has a documented pattern of threatening institutional measures when he does not get his way. Last year, when MacDonough stripped Medicaid provisions from a tax bill during reconciliation, Trump allies demanded her removal. Thune rejected that demand as well, maintaining that he would not overrule or fire MacDonough for doing her constitutional job.
The White House declined to confirm whether Trump made the call to Thune, offering only a statement that it does not comment on private conversations. Thune’s refusal to cave to presidential pressure demonstrates that Senate leadership remains bound by institutional constraints, though Trump’s attempt to weaponize the parliamentary process for personal projects demonstrates his contempt for constitutional limits on executive power.