Senate Drops $1 Billion White House Ballroom Security Funding as Trump Pushes Project 40 Times
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 24
Senate Drops $1 Billion White House Ballroom Security Funding as Trump Pushes Project 40 Times
10 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 24
$1 billion in Secret Service funding for White House ballroom security was removed from a Senate spending bill last week, handing Trump a setback as the project faces bipartisan resistance.
Trump has promoted the ballroom at least 40 times this year, including nine times this month, even as he urges Americans to be patient with soaring gas prices tied to the Iran war.
Some Republican lawmakers and strategists say the ballroom has become a political distraction before November's midterms, with voters more focused on fuel, groceries and the broader economy.
Trump says he has raised $400 million in private and donor money for the ballroom, but critics argue the broader security and White House complex costs still leave taxpayers exposed.
The fight fits a wider pattern in Trump's second term, where legacy projects such as the ballroom, Reflecting Pool overhaul and a planned 250-foot arch have competed with economic and war concerns.
As economic pressures mount on families, what are the full financial and ethical implications of the president's new legacy ballroom?