"White House Ballroom Project Hits Roadblock: Trump Seeks Taxpayer Funds for Security Amid Private Donor Promise. In a surprise move, President Trump has sparked controversy over the construction of a new White House ballroom, initially funded by private donors at an estimated cost of $400 million. However, the administration has now requested $1 billion from taxpayers to cover security upgrades on the White House campus, including the ballroom. The proposal has been met with resistance from Republican lawmakers, who are hesitant to allocate funds in an election year marked by rising prices and economic uncertainty. As the project faces opposition in Congress, Trump has become increasingly defensive, taking reporters on a tour of the construction site to justify the costly addition to the White House."
President says $400m building costs to be funded by private donors, but has asked for taxpayers to cover security costsShouting over the banging and clanging sounds from heavy construction equipment, Donald Trump on Tuesday gave a group of reporters a closer look at the construction for the White House ballroom he’s building on the site of the former East Wing to mount a defense of the project that has hit a speed bump in Congress.The administration has asked for $1bn from taxpayers for security additions on the White House campus, including for the ballroom. But the Senate parliamentarian ruled the proposal could not be included in a bill to fund immigrant enforcement agencies for three years, and several Republican lawmakers have balked at the price tag in an election year where voters are grappling with gasoline, grocery and other prices spurred to new heights by the Iran war and the disruption in oil supplies. Continue reading...
