WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following this weekend’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ dinner with the President and cabinet members in attendance, some of the President’s allies want to use taxpayer money to build a ballroom on White House grounds. The President has said the project would be funded through private donations. Republicans seem united on building a ballroom but divided on using taxpayer dollars to build it.
“I don’t want to say this but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House,” said President Donald Trump following the shooting at the WHCA dinner. “It’s actually a larger room and it’s much more secure. Its drone proof, its bullet proof, we need the ballroom.”
After the administration demoed the East Wing late last year to put in a 90-thousand square foot ballroom, a judge halted construction of the project saying that it needs congressional approval. The Administration claims they don’t need congressional approval for a project like this and that the 400-million dollar ballroom is being funded through private donations.
After this weekend’s shooting, some of the President’s allies in congress are not only supportive about moving forward with a White House ballroom, some even suggested to use taxpayer dollars to build it.
“I’m convinced if there had been a presidential ballroom adjacent to the White House, the guy would’ve never gotten in,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R- SC), one of the sponsors of the bill to fund the ballroom.
Most Democrats on the hill call it a vanity project for the president. We asked some Republicans if taxpayer dollars should be used to fund the project. Some we heard from said they liked the idea of it being done through private donations.
“Everything that I’ve heard the funds are through private donors and thats a wonderful thing,” said Rep. Nick Langworthy (R- NY). “The White House is a permanent structure; this is a permanent add-on to the White House. The fact that the President got private investments to do it that’s a great thing but obviously once it comes to the upkeep of the White House that becomes a public expenditure, its not without public investment long haul. So, I’m under no illusions it will be under that but if it will be under private donations then it shouldn’t be controversial.”
“I think it’s completely justified by the President to be spearheading this effort for a larger ballroom,” said Sen. Dave McCormick (R- PA). “The White House has been renovated many decades over different Presidents and frankly, I was at the state dinner two nights ago with the King with my wife and I and you know it’s tiny. We had a dinner of about 100 people and there’s just not the capacity for the White House to accommodate the kinds of visitors and the kinds of events, so we definitely need an expanded ballroom and support the President’s goal in that. Whether there should be taxpayer dollars in that, if it’s now being funded by a foundation where private donors are coming which is what the White House Historical Society and other things are often done, I think that’s a great approach. If there was a security need for additional funding because this could also potentially enhance White House security, then I certainly will be willing to consider that but I like the idea of this being mostly supported a historical project by private funds.”
The DOJ filed additional documents this week asking the court to dissolve their injunction against the ballroom construction.
