OMB Releases $351.6 Million for White House Security as Trump Presses $400 Million Ballroom
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 17
OMB Releases $351.6 Million for White House Security as Trump Presses $400 Million Ballroom
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 17
Summary
$351.6 million was approved Friday for Secret Service White House security measures, including $340.8 million for procurement, construction and improvements and $10.75 million for operations and support.
The release comes as Trump argues the East Wing modernization and ballroom project is needed after a foiled drone-and-explosives plot tied to the UFC Freedom 250 event and other recent security incidents near the White House.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the project is inseparable from presidential security, citing planned drone-proof structures, drone ports and a six-story underground complex with medical, meeting and defense infrastructure.
It remains unclear whether the newly released federal money will fund the ballroom itself, which Trump says will cost about $400 million and be paid by private donors.
That claim faces pressure from a Washington Post report that the contractor estimated a $600 million price tag with more than half from taxpayers, while the project also remains under court challenge after the East Wing's 2025 demolition.