The presidential protection agency detailed how it would use a proposed $1 billion as Republicans asked for more detail and Democrats went on the attack.
Top Senate Republicans and the White House tried on Tuesday to ease reservations about providing $1 billion in taxpayer dollars for security related to President Trump’s ballroom project, emphasizing that only a portion of the money — $220 million — was tied to the new facility.
The disclosure was part of a intensifying lobbying campaign to push through a bill in the coming weeks to provide nearly $72 billion for immigration enforcement. It was included in a spreadsheet on how the security money would be parceled out that was distributed to Republican senators by Sean Curran, the chief of the Secret Service, who joined them at their weekly party luncheon at the Capitol.
“The question I think he was addressing was, how is this money going to be used, the $1 billion,” said Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, noting that about 20 percent was for what he called the East Wing modernization project.
“Most of it is going to be used for other purposes: training facilities, technology, lots of other things that law enforcement — particularly, in this case, Secret Service — needs to ensure that they keep our president and other top officials safe.”
Mr. Curran said he had a “great meeting” with senators.
“The past two weeks I’ve been fielding questions from both sides of the aisle,” he said, adding that members of both parties had been “super professional and just really great partners and great supporters.”
Still, some Republican senators said they would need more specifics about the funding before they would commit to backing it in votes expected next week.