The Trump administration is set to spend $927 million or more on construction projects on the White House grounds, with taxpayers on the hook for most of the expense, according to a report by The Washington Post. The projected cost is far higher than previously reported.
The Post’s Jonathan O'Connell and Sarah Blaskey report that the administration has cobbled together the funding from agencies and private donors, rather than going to Congress to get the money. Citing confidential contracts and planning documents, they report that the projects are being routed through the Executive Residence, an office that maintains the president’s private White House home — and is not subject to typical federal disclosure rules.
“Together, the records reveal in the greatest detail yet how the Trump administration has sidestepped Congress and shielded visibility into what would become the most expensive overhaul of the White House in more than 80 years,” O’Connell and Blaskey write. “In the past, administrations planning major changes to the White House grounds have done so by submitting budget requests to Congress, receiving appropriations, and directing agencies to seek approvals and hire contractors, according to historians and budget records.”
Trump has taken a far different approach as he launched a series of construction projects, from paving over the Rose Garden to a new helipad to tearing down the East Wing for a “modernization project” that notably includes a massive new ballroom and bunker complex.
Trump had promised that the cost of the ballroom would be covered entirely by private “patriot donors,” but both the project and its projected cost have grown, climbing from about $200 million to $400 million. An earlier report by the Post’s Blaskey and O'Connell said that a White House contractor had estimated the total construction cost at $600 million, with more than half coming from taxpayers.
The Post also notes that the Executive Residence maintenance account has been appropriated $2.5 million annually in recent years, but that the Trump administration has directed $875 million to that account since Trump took office, including $500 million from the Secret Service and White House Military Office and $305 million from private donations.
The White House reportedly did not answer questions from The Post about where the construction funding is coming from or the total cost of the work but defended the projects, arguing that the security enhancements involved are appropriate and necessary and the funding transfers are in keeping with congressional intent.
“President Trump continues to implement long-overdue and necessary renovations to beautify the People’s House as we celebrate our great Nation’s 250th anniversary of independence,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement to the Post. “Thanks to the Builder-in-Chief, the White House will be properly glorified and remain in excellent condition for generations to come.”
A federal appeals court last week ordered a halt to above-ground work on the ballroom project but paused its order for 14 days to allow the administration to ask the Supreme Court to intervene. “Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” the judges wrote in a 2-1 majority decision.
The Post team says that the contracts they reviewed “leave open the possibility that the work will not move forward as planned and that the money will not be spent.”