Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for May 12, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
THE LATEST
The White House is doubling down on its push to get congressional funding for Donald Trump’s ballroom project. During today’s weekly Senate Republican lunch, officials — led by Secret Service Director Sean Curran — offered line-by-line details on the $1 billion plan for the overall East Wing renovation project, NOTUS’ Al Weaver and Igor Bobic report.
- Curran is also headed to the House GOP Main Street Caucus meeting tonight to quell concerns about the massive financial ask, according to Politico.
- DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and the White House legislative affairs director, James Braid, have also been dispatched to meet with the moderate Republican Governance Group for lunch tomorrow.
Sen. John Kennedy is working on an amendment to pay for the ballroom by reducing the size of the reconciliation package from $72 billion to $71 billion, Igor reports. The Louisiana Republican floated the idea to Curran during the lunch.
Trending
“Operation Sledgehammer”: The Defense Department is eyeing a new name for its war with Iran should a testy ceasefire collapse and hostilities resume — part of an apparent bid to argue that the Trump administration’s 60-day clock before needing congressional authorization has been reset, NBC News reports.