Democrats say more than $350 million routed to White House security from accounts meant for Secret Service hiring and training is helping fund President Donald Trump’s new White House ballroom—despite Trump’s insistence that no taxpayer money is used. The Whit
On the White House grounds, construction on a new ballroom keeps moving forward—even as Democrats argue that federal security money quietly found its way to the project.
More than $350 million from President Donald Trump’s “big. beautiful bill” has been directed to White House security. an allotment Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee say appears to be supporting the ballroom project. The apportionment was made late Friday by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. and Democrats say it came from two accounts meant to provide the U.S. Secret Service extra funds for hiring and training after last year’s assassination attempts on the president.
The timing is the flashpoint. Democrats say the shift was made days after Congress rejected a $1 billion request for the White House in a Homeland Security bill that Trump signed into law. The ballroom plan has also been tangled in legal challenges. and opponents have portrayed it as politically risky at a moment when Americans say they are struggling with the high cost of living.
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley said he was unaware of the allocations. “The president said that it was all going to be paid for with private money,” Grassley, R-Iowa, said Thursday. “And that’s what the country expects.”
For Senate Budget Committee top Democrat Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the issue is whether Trump is complying with his own promises.
Merkley said Trump’s conduct may be illegal. “After repeatedly telling the American people that zero taxpayer dollars would be spent on his gold-plated ballroom boondoggle. now Trump appears to be using a smoke and mirrors tactic. ” Merkley said in a statement. “Trump has proven that he can’t be trusted to follow the law,” Merkley said. “He only cares about wasting taxpayer money on his vanity projects.”.
Even as Democrats press the case, the White House is insisting the underlying premise is wrong.
A White House spokesman said Trump and donors are funding some $400 million for the ballroom development and that coordination with the Secret Service was noted when the project was first announced. “The East Wing Modernization Project is inextricably tied to the security of the President. the White House grounds and the certain security infrastructure assets. ” White House spokesman Davis R. Ingle said. Ingle said events over the past weekend. including an alleged attack plan targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House. underscore why the project is needed.
He said, “President Trump and generous American patriots are funding the ballroom to the tune of approximately $400 million, which will be a secure and appropriate venue for Presidents for generations to come.”
Construction and setbacks are already part of the story. Trump ordered the demolition of the storied East Wing to make way for the ballroom. and he toured the construction site last month. During that visit, Trump called the development a “gift” to the American people. He has repeatedly said it is being paid for by donations. a line watchdogs have questioned over potential corruption and conflicts of interest.
Congress refused the administration’s $1 billion request for ballroom funding last month. The administration had sought the money as part of a Homeland Security bill. but Republican and Democratic lawmakers rejected efforts to tack it on. The congressional rejection came as the politics around the project intensified.
The project’s cost has also become a point of contention. The Washington Post reported earlier this week that the price tag has ballooned to $600 million. citing a project summary prepared by the contractor. with more than half of that funding coming from taxpayers. Roll Call previously reported the apportionment of new funds for White House security.
The fight over the ballroom is not just about money on a spreadsheet. It also turns on how the project is defined—how much is meant to strengthen security features underground, and how much is the 999-seat ballroom Trump promised on top.
Government lawyers have argued that the East Wing project includes critical security features designed to guard against threats such as drones and missiles. The White House has also said in court documents that the East Wing project would be “heavily fortified. ” including bomb shelters. military installations and a medical facility underneath the ballroom.
The Secret Service told senators last month that $220 million of the White House’s $1 billion request would go to harden the ballroom addition—citing bulletproof glass. drone detection technologies. and chemical and other systems. The rest of the money. according to a document provided to Senate Republicans. would go for other security improvements. including $180 million for a new. “long overdue” White House visitors screening facility.
All of it feeds a growing debate on Capitol Hill about the “power of the purse,” and how that power interacts with what the White House can do once an appropriation becomes law.
The shifting funds are certain to intensify separation-of-powers concerns, Democrats argue, because they involve federal resources allocated by lawmakers that then appear to be redirected. The money, they say, comes from Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill signed into law last summer.
That package provided more than $1 billion for Secret Service resources. including “personnel. training facilities. programming. and technology; and performance. retention. and signing bonuses.” Democrats say the provision was uncontested at the time—despite Democrats voting against the broader bill. Democrats said they did not challenge this section or try to strip it out.
Under the Constitution, only Congress has the specific authority to allocate funds across the federal government, including executive and judicial branch operations. Trump can sign or veto appropriation bills, but once the funding becomes law, it largely must stand.
As construction continues and the legal challenges persist. the dispute now centers on a core contradiction: Trump’s repeated claim that taxpayer money would not go to his ballroom. and Democrats’ warning that federal security dollars aimed at the Secret Service after last year’s assassination attempts are being used in ways that overlap with the White House project that has come under fire.
White House ballroom Secret Service funding Office of Management and Budget Senate Budget Committee Chuck Grassley Jeff Merkley Davis R. Ingle East Wing modernization Homeland Security bill taxpayer dollars separation of powers
Wait so they’re paying for a ballroom with security money? That’s wild.
I didn’t read all that but $350 million sounds like yes definitely taxpayer money. Secret Service should be for… you know, Secret Service stuff.
So they routed money from hiring/training to a ballroom and that’s somehow surprising? Like if they’re securing the White House, then technically a ballroom is part of security?? idk man, the headline makes it sound shady though.
Trump says no taxpayer money is used but it’s routed from accounts that were meant for the Secret Service. That’s just like… semantics? Also the part about it being made late Friday, come on, convenient timing after that $1 billion got rejected. Feels like they found a loophole. I’m sure it’s all fine though, because everybody always says it’s fine.