Republicans propose $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to secure Trump ballroom
President Donald Trump promoted a new White House ballroom as fully funded by private donors, with no cost to taxpayers. However, a Republican-led bill proposes $1 billion in public funds for security upgrades tied to the project. Senate Democrats plan to challenge the funding provision, arguing it effectively makes taxpayers pay for the ballroom.
- ▪President Trump claimed the ballroom would be built with private funds and cost taxpayers nothing.
- ▪Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley included $1 billion for security upgrades in a Republican reconciliation bill.
- ▪The White House cited security concerns, including an assassination attempt at the Correspondents’ Dinner, to justify the funding.
- ▪Democrats, including Senator Brian Schatz, oppose the $1 billion allocation and plan to vote to remove it from the bill.
- ▪Comcast Corp., parent of NBCUniversal, is among the corporate donors who contributed to the ballroom's construction.
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White HouseRepublicans propose $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to secure Trump ballroomThe president said repeatedly that the White House ballroom would be privately funded but has raised security concerns, particularly in light of the correspondent's dinner shooting.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00An excavator sits on the rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished in Oct. 2025 Washington, before construction of a new ballroom. .Alex Wong / Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 5, 2026, 1:29 PM EDT / Updated May 5, 2026, 1:36 PM EDTBy Peter Nicholas, Frank Thorp V and Gary GrumbachWASHINGTON — For months, President Donald Trump portrayed the big new ballroom that he’s building on White House grounds as a gift to the nation, courtesy of…
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