A Billion in Taxpayer Money for Trump's Ballroom by Robert Kuttner

[justaprogressive]

Senate Republicans have added a billion dollars to a must-pass immigration bill for President Trump’s East Wing ballroom, which was supposed to be financed entirely with private donations. The billion is part of a $70 billion reconciliation package that finances the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have blocked some of that funding to negotiate restraints on ICE abuses.

The White House excuse for the sudden shift to public ballroom funding, echoed by Republican Senate leaders, is that the apparent assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton underscores the need for increased security improvements at the White House. Of course, the two issues have no connection.

There have been no security lapses at the White House that would be remedied by construction of a massive ballroom. Even Trump cannot command all private events where he speaks to move to the executive mansion complex. Unless Trump plans to remain a prisoner of the White House, the ballroom doesn’t address the genuine lapses that have occurred elsewhere.

If Trump wanted to jam his allies in Congress and hand Democrats a winning issue, he could not have done better than this one. Democrats plan to demand a separate vote on the billion dollars for the ballroom.

Republican leaders have contended that the new White House funding in the bill is only for enhanced security and not for the ballroom, but the language seems to define the entire ballroom project as needed for security. Trump’s ballroom is now tied up in court. Federal Judge Richard Leon has held that it can proceed only with approval from Congress.

https://prospect.org/2026/05/06/billion-in-taxpayer-money-trumps-ballroom/