Trump Demands Senate Republicans Fire the Parliamentarian After She Blocks His Ballroom Money

Trump publicly demanded on May 20 that Senate Republicans remove Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate parliamentarian, after she ruled that White House ballroom security funding could not be carried in a filibuster-proof immigration enforcement bill. Writing on social media, he told Republicans to "get smart and tough" or risk losing their seats, and said the party would never elect another Republican president unless it eliminated the filibuster or fired the parliamentarian. Majority Leader John Thune has resisted the calls.

The parliamentarian is a nonpartisan Senate employee who advises the presiding officer on whether provisions satisfy the chamber's own rules, including the Byrd rule limits on what can move through budget reconciliation. She has been in the post since 2012, appointed under a Republican-led process, and has ruled against both parties. A president pressing the Senate to remove its rules adviser because a ruling went against a project of his is a demand that one chamber's internal procedure yield to the White House's legislative preferences — the second such demand of this term, following a similar push during the 2025 reconciliation fight.

MacDonough remained in her position. Senate Republicans instead stripped the ballroom security money from the immigration bill in early June.