Trump administration quietly shifts $352m in federal funds for White House ballroom

Donald Trump at the site of ongoing construction of the planned White House ballroom on 19 May 2026. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters View image in fullscreen Donald Trump at the site of ongoing construction of the planned White House ballroom on 19 May 2026. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Trump administration quietly shifts $352m in federal funds for White House ballroom Funds meant for Secret Service were transferred to project president promised would be financed by private donations US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump’s administration has quietly redirected $352m in federal funds designated for the Secret Service toward the president’s controversial White House ballroom project, despite repeated promises by Trump that the construction would be financed by private donations The funds were drawn from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump’s signature tax legislation passed last summer on Republican-only votes. The law stipulates the money may only be spent on Secret Service personnel, training facilities, technology and related costs, not construction. About $340.8m of the funding was placed into an account labeled “Procurement, Construction, and Improvements” on 12 June, according to the office of management and budget (OMB) database. Another account labeled “Operations and Support” was also approved the same day, adding another $10.75m to the budget. Will Penn Station’s much-needed makeover boost commuters – or Trump? Read more The move came after Congress explicitly refused to provide $1bn in funds for the “East Wing Modernization Project”, the Trump administration’s official name for a 90,000-sq-ft ballroom being built on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing. The administration argued the funds were needed for legitimate security upgrades, pointing to recent threats against Trump, including an alleged plot to attack Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House south lawn. “The East Wing Modernization Project is inextricably tied to the security of the president, the White House grounds and the certain security infrastructure assets,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said. “President Trump and generous American patriots are funding the ballroom to the tune of approximately $400m, which will be a secure and appropriate venue for presidents for generations to come.” Those disrupted attacks, Ingle said, “proves exactly why” the project is needed for events at the White House, which include “drone-proof structures and drone ports among other critical security enhancements”. Senior legislators were unconvinced. “That’s a big problem,” Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina who is retiring at the end of the year, told Notus . “That sounds like a different way to fund the East Wing project. On its face it doesn’t sound right.” Brian Schatz, a Democratic senator from Hawaii on the appropriations committee, also told the outlet: “I don’t know whether it’s the ballroom, but it sounds like the ballr