White House Seeks $1 Billion Ballroom Plan as Republicans Cast $500 Million Share as Security
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 13
White House Seeks $1 Billion Ballroom Plan as Republicans Cast $500 Million Share as Security
12 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 13
$1 billion in White House ballroom and renovation funding is being framed by Senate Republicans as a presidential security measure, not just a construction project, according to Axios.
$500 million of the plan would go to the Secret Service for training and technology upgrades against drones, airspace incursions, biological threats and other emerging risks, while $220 million would harden the White House itself.
John Thune argued the funding is justified by three assassination attempts against Donald Trump in the past two years, calling the ballroom package a security-related matter.
Sean Curran, the Secret Service director, attended a Senate GOP lunch as lawmakers weighed the proposal after the April 26 White House Correspondents' Dinner attack, when an armed suspect breached a checkpoint and fired at an agent.
With threats growing at external events, is fortifying the White House the most effective use of a $1 billion security fund?
Can the historic White House be modernized for new threats without sacrificing its cultural integrity?
How will deploying 'kinetic' anti-drone weapons affect civilian safety and aviation in the nation's capital?