By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) – Two days after a shooting at a dinner that President Donald Trump was attending, Republicans in the U.S. Congress pushed for legislation to fund and speed construction of a White House ballroom, citing increased security concerns.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and two fellow Republicans have crafted a bill to mainly finance the construction, which already is underway, at taxpayers’ expense.
“I’d like the vote as soon as possible to accelerate what America needs: A secure facility for the president and others to meet in, to have a good time, to enjoy themselves without putting the nation at risk,” Graham told reporters, adding that underneath the ballroom would be “a lot of military stuff” that he said would include a Secret Service annex.
Graham added that private donations could be used for “buying china and stuff like that.” Of the $400 million, Graham said, $332 million would be taxpayer funds that he said would be paid for by using “customs fees” on imported goods.
“I’ve never felt the sense of threat that exists today,” Graham said, arguing that Trump would not have to leave the secured White House grounds for large events being held in Washington.
Neither Trump nor the White House hosted Saturday’s dinner, which had around 2,600 guests. Trump has already torn down the historic East Wing of the White House to begin construction of a massive White House ballroom, which would seat a maximum of 1,000 guests.
Trump previously had said that private donations would pay for the estimated $400 million cost of the ballroom project that he has demanded.
Graham said he wants a vote on a stand-alone ballroom funding bill. But if that is defeated, he said he would consider an alternate route. He did not rule out trying to put the $400 million in a bill Republicans are pushing that would circumvent the need for Democratic support in the narrowly divided Senate.
Republican Representative Chip Roy of Texas said in a posting on X on Sunday that a budget bill Graham and Republicans are pushing through Congress should include the ballroom. That measure would move through the Senate under a special procedure allowing passage by a 51-vote majority, instead of a 60-vote supermajority most bills face. Republicans hold 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats.
That bill is mainly aimed at funding two Department of Homeland Security law enforcement agencies through fiscal year 2029.
On March 31, a federal judge ruled that the 90,000-square-foot project could only go forward if Congress approved it.
On Sunday, freshman Republican Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana said he would seek fast Senate approval of a bill providing for construction of Trump’s ballroom. His move would require the consent of all senators — a procedure that often fails on controversial legislation.
So far, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is the only Democrat in the chamber who has publicly indicated his support for the ballroom that would be built on the site of the demolished White House East Wing.
Some House Republicans were also drafting legislation to ensure completion of Trump’s project.
On Saturday night, Trump was set to deliver a speech at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association. The event ended abruptly after a man was apprehended inside the hotel where the event was held and he allegedly fired shots at a U.S. Secret Service agent.
Shortly after the shooting, Trump held a press conference in the White House and said that security concerns were more justification to continue building his ballroom.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Michael Learmonth, David Gregorio and Stephen Coates)
Comments