Ballroom Blitz

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.

“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.

• Even with the ceasefire in place, the war has cost an estimated $29 billion, NOTUS’ Joe Gould reports. That figure is up from a $25 billion estimate last month.

THE ADMINISTRATION

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary will resign from the agency, NOTUS’ Paige Winfield Cunningham and Margaret Manto report. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked Makary to resign over concerns about his ability to lead the agency, a senior administration official said.

• “Bobby is not vitriolic toward Marty,” the official said. “Marty’s just not operating as effectively as he could.”
• Trump confirmed the news at a gaggle with reporters this afternoon: “He’s going to go on and he’s going to lead a good life. He was having some difficulty. He’s a great doctor and he was having some difficulty.”

Gas prices are driving inflation. The consumer price index rose by 3.8% in April from the previous year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gas prices rose 5.4% in April after a March spike, and the price of gas is up 28.4% year over year.

• When asked today about whether he is considering Americans’ economic situation as he debates restarting hostilities with Iran, Trump told reporters, “Not even a little bit.”
• “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation, I don’t think about anybody,” he added.

The president’s China trip delegation has another guest: Brett Ratner, who directed Melania Trump’s self-titled documentary, the New York Post reports. He’ll apparently be scouting filming locations for “Rush Hour 4,” the movie franchise the president has pushed to revive.

THE HILL

Tensions flared on Capitol Hill today as senators grilled Kash Patel about recent allegations of misconduct during an Appropriations subcommittee hearing. The panel’s ranking member, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, pressed the FBI director on recent allegations of Patel’s excessive alcohol consumption and bureau mismanagement, calling the reports “credible” and “extremely troubling.”

• Sen. Patty Murray asked about reports that the FBI has been improperly using resources to investigate members of the media, which Patel denied: “I can tell you unequivocally, this FBI is targeting and investigating no journalists.”

THE STATES

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey set a new special primary election date for four congressional districts after the Supreme Court yesterday paved the way for the state to revert to a map with a single majority-Black district. The 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th Congressional Districts are now set to vote on Aug. 11, with no runoff elections.

THEY’RE JUST LIKE US

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Brett Bachman and Andrew Burton. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please subscribe — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at finalnotus@notus.com.