Democrats say money from Trump's tax cuts bill is paying for White House
ballroom project
[June 19, 2026]
By LISA MASCARO
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than $350 million from President Donald Trump’s “
big, beautiful bill ” has been quietly directed to White House security,
an allotment that Democrats warn appears to be helping fund his new
ballroom project — despite the president’s insistence that no taxpayer
dollars would be used.
The apportionment of funds, which the White House's Office of Management
and Budget made late Friday, comes from two accounts that were intended
to provide the U.S. Secret Service with extra money for hiring and
training in the aftermath of last year’s assassination attempts on the
president, according to Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee. The
shift was made days after Congress rejected a $1 billion request for the
White House in a Homeland Security bill that Trump signed law and as the
ballroom project is tangled in legal challenges.
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley, whose panel
initially drafted the security funding, said Thursday he was unaware of
the allocations.
“The president said that it was all going to be paid for with private
money,” said Grassley, R-Iowa. “And that’s what the country expects."
Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget
Committee, charged that Trump's actions are potentially 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.”
Ballroom project hits setbacks
Trump has faced setbacks in his attempts to build the ballroom on the
White House grounds, where he ordered the demolition of the storied East
Wing to make way for it.
Touring the construction site last month, Trump called the development a
“gift” to the American people. He has repeatedly said that is being paid
for by donations – which has also run into ethics questions from
watchdogs concerned about potential corruption and conflicts of
interest.
Congress refused the Trump administration’s request for $1 billion for
the ballroom last month. The administration wanted the money as part of
a Homeland Security bill, but Republican and Democratic lawmakers
rejected efforts to tack it on. It became politically toxic at a time
when Americans are reeling from inflationary high costs of living.
The Washington Post reported earlier this week that the price tag for
the project has ballooned to $600 million, according to a project
summary prepared by the contractor, with more than half of that funding
coming from taxpayers. Roll Call first reported on the apportionment of
new funds for White House security.
At its core, arguments are swirling over how much of the White House
project is to bolster security underground, with bomb shelters and a
medical facility, and how much of the costs are related to the
president's promised 999-seat ballroom on top.
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Construction continues on the new White House ballroom, as seen from
the Washington Monument, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
White House says Trump and donors are paying for the ballroom
A spokesman for the White House said that Trump and donors are
funding some $400 million for the ballroom development, and that the
coordination with the Secret Service had been noted in the initial
announcement of the project.
“The East Wing Modernization Project is inextricably tied to the
security of the President, the White House grounds and the certain
security infrastructure assets,” said White House spokesman Davis R.
Ingle in a statement.
He said the events over the past weekend, including an alleged
attack plan targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House,
proves why the project is needed.
“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,” he said.
Government lawyers have argued that the project includes critical
security features to guard against a range of threats, such as
drones and missiles.
The White House has 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, with bulletproof glass, drone detection
technologies, chemical and other systems.
The rest of the money would go for other security improvements,
according to a document provided to Senate Republicans, including
$180 million for a new, “long overdue” White House visitors
screening facility.
Congress holds power of the purse
The shifting funds are certain to ignite growing concerns in
Congress over the separation of powers, and the president’s use of
federal funds allocated by lawmakers.
The money comes from Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill
that the president signed into law last summer. It provided more
than $1 billion for Secret Service resources, including “personnel,
training facilities, programming, and technology; and performance,
retention, and signing bonuses.”
The provision was uncontested at the time, even as Democrats voted
against the broader bill. Democrats said they did not challenge this
section or try to strip it out from the package.
Under the Constitution, only Congress has the specific authority to
allocate funds across the federal government, including the
executive and judicial branch operations.
While the president holds the power to sign – or veto – those
appropriation bills, once the funding becomes law, it largely must
stand.
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