Donald Trump’s Trump White House Overhaul plan would spend nearly $1bn on White House construction projects, including a large new ballroom that would replace much of the East Wing. The White House says the work is long-overdue and necessary, and Davis Ingle said it is tied to security at the White House grounds and certain security infrastructure assets.
Ingle said the work is being done with the Secret Service and White House Military Office. He also said about $400m for the ballroom would come from President Trump and generous American patriots.
White House Repair and Restoration account
The spending would run through the White House Repair and Restoration account, which has about $875m in it. That account usually holds only several million dollars and is used for routine maintenance and upkeep.
The Washington Post cited documents on Wednesday showing that some $500m came from the Secret Service and the White House Military Office, another $305m came from private donations, and the provenance of another $70m was not indicated. The scale of that account makes this project unlike the normal repair work the account is built to handle.
East Wing ballroom work
The ballroom is the most visible part of the construction plan because it would replace much of the East Wing. In June, Public Citizen said it found corporate donors to the project had received more than $50bn in government contracts during the previous six months.
That scrutiny has followed the project into court. The White House reconstruction plan has drawn concerns from lawmakers and courts over whether vested interests are paying for the work in exchange for government favors.
Washington, DC halt
Last week, a federal judge in Washington, DC, ordered a halt to work specifically for the ballroom and said it needed Congressional approval under existing law. Davis Ingle pointed to recent security incidents, including attempted attacks on the president and events around the 250th anniversary of US independence, as the reason for the work.
The ballroom work remains under that halt, so the immediate issue is whether the administration can keep advancing the broader construction plan while the portion tied to the East Wing stays blocked in court.
