Overview
- Pressed in Washington on Thursday, President Trump said taxpayers would not fund his 90,000‑square‑foot East Wing ballroom, claiming $400 million in private money covers it and describing the separate $1 billion request as broader safety upgrades on White House grounds.
- Senate Republicans folded the $1 billion into a Homeland Security and immigration spending package, with bill text steering the money to “East Wing Modernization” security features above and below ground while barring non‑security items, and experts told PolitiFact those lines are hard to police in practice.
- The project faces a federal court order from last month that bars above‑ground construction without congressional approval after preservation groups sued, leaving any restart dependent on lawmakers despite the administration’s security rationale after the April 25 Correspondents’ Dinner attack.
- An interim National Park Service report, conducted by Jacobs Engineering, found lead, chromium and other toxic metals in East Wing demolition debris moved to the public East Potomac Golf Links, while the Interior Department said the soil transfers met legal testing standards and a D.C. judge limited tree cutting this week.
- Public resistance remains strong, with a Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll showing 56% opposed and 28% in support, and some Republicans warn the $1 billion provision is a political risk that could endanger the larger funding bill as midterms near.