How Trump Got In The Way Of His Own Bill
What A Day
What A Day
4.6 • 12.6K Ratings
🗓️ 22 May 2026
⏱️ 23 minutes
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Summary
Republicans had a filibuster-proof immigration bill that would allocate $70 billion to immigration enforcement and fully reopen the Department of Homeland Security. But then, Trump got involved. First, he wanted $1 billion for "security" for his beloved beautiful ballroom. Then, the Department of Justice announced that $1.776 billion slush fund for Trump's allies. After Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Senate Republicans to make the case for the slush fund on Thursday, everyone got so mad that Senate Majority Leader John Thune gave up on getting a vote together for the immigration bill and sent everyone home for the holiday. To unpack the reconciliation bill mess, we spoke to Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Brendan Boyle. He's the ranking member of the House Budget Committee.
And in headlines, Iran is reportedly reviewing the U.S.'s latest peace proposal, the Trump administration eases restrictions on planet-warming "super pollutants" used in air conditioners and refrigerators, and the Democratic National Committee finally releases its autopsy of the 2024 election.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's Friday, May 22nd. I'm Jane Koston, and this is What Today. The show deeply inspired by President Donald Trump's total disinterest in Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding. Here he is on Thursday. |
| 0:14.5 | I said, you know, this is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things. That's one I can't win on. If I do attend, |
| 0:23.6 | I get killed. If I don't attend, I get killed. By the fake news, of course, I'm talking about. |
| 0:29.6 | No, but he's got a very person I've known for a long time, and hopefully they're going to have a great marriage. |
| 0:38.2 | Interesting how the war in Iran is so important that Trump can't go to a son's wedding. |
| 0:42.0 | But not so important that Trump can't say, get distracted by ballroom construction. |
| 0:47.3 | Or golf. |
| 1:01.4 | On today's show, Trump's pottymouth is getting worse, and the Democratic National Committee finally released its autopsy with no conclusion, quote, provided by the author. |
| 1:06.3 | But let's start with Congress, specifically Senate Republicans. |
| 1:12.9 | Republicans had a filibuster-proof immigration bill that would contain $70 billion for immigration enforcement and finally fully |
| 1:17.9 | reopened the Department of Homeland Security. It was going to be awesome. But then Trump got |
| 1:23.9 | involved. First, he wanted $1 billion for security for his beloved beautiful ballroom. |
| 1:30.0 | That did not go over well with Republicans, especially after the White House argued that approving that money would be the same as Congress approving of the ballroom itself, which Congress did not do. |
| 1:40.6 | Here's Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy making some observations to CNN on Wednesday. |
| 1:46.6 | There's no architectural plans. There is no environmental. There's no engineering. There's no sense of, when we ask, how did it happen to cost exactly a billion? |
| 2:00.2 | I also have this question. |
| 2:02.2 | That same day, Senate Republicans removed that budget request from the immigration bill. |
| 2:06.3 | Problem. |
| 2:07.8 | Solved? |
| 2:08.6 | But then there's that $1.776 billion slush fund for Trump's allies. |
| 2:13.6 | A slush fund, one Republican senator called, quote, stupid on stilts. |
| 2:18.4 | Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Senate Republicans to try and make the case for the slush fund on Thursday. |
... |
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